deedeewisdom

Every year
In springtime
My hubby gets the call

The grass, you see,
Grows fast each year
When birdies sing
And pollens fall

So, he prepares,
Checks mower’s fit
And off he goes
High grass he’ll outwit

He wears a smile
The work he savors
Early morn
Is what he favors

The coifed landscape
Is his goal
A half-acre of work
But for him no toll

His “Yooper” past
Kicks in with fury
Hard work, endures,
But loving nature’s glory!

(YOOPER is the nickname for those born and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where most males became copper miners. A land of immigrants, hard work, pretty much slave labor and no frills, gritty existence)

Diane Findlen Garrow 5/19/26

O’er the windswept mountains that blow the sands astray
The hands of time did sweep my friend away

(Awoke early this morning and this short poem was composed in my heart along with a dream that a friend had passed,

Only to learn that a dear, dear friend of my husband died)

IN memory of Jerry Davison 2/14/26

There have been in my life
Two dapper chaps
By the name of Kevin both known

And love of dance
They both possessed
And knew dance was not done alone

So, onto the dance floor
They invited me
(Both dear friends of my son)
To dance to the beat of the chosen song
And to the moment belong

With the Kevins I came to know and love
One we danced to Sinatra
The other song was composed by my son
A rock and roll extravaganza

And now I reflect
In my sunset years
Those moments in the dance
Though brief, quite sharp
Etched in my heart
Meant to be, not left to chance

They both now reside
In a better place
Far, far removed from our troubles
Where dance and song
Resound round the clock
To keep pace with God’s love
Forever

January 2026
Written in memory of Kevin Mason and Kevin Doherty (Doughman)
They both died in 2025, dear, dear friends of my son David

When I was young
I cared for the old
I loved their wrinkles
I loved their moles

Now I’m old
I’m not so impressed
In fact the truth is
It makes me depressed!

So “thumbs up” this
And “hearts” to that
We’re in a world
That’s a stretch to grasp

So I write a letter
And place a stamp
The cyber world
It’s not in my camp!

I call him on the telephone
(The land line that is)
His cheery voice just lifts you up!
(In a way that is uniquely his)

The chats are fun
But oh so sweet
He wants to know
What’s new
News of our kids and grandkids prevail
Then Fred says
“Thanks for the call!”

So brief, so quick, it is and yet
Those little chats so sweet
A brief connect is all it takes
It gives my soul a treat!

1/18/26
Those little chats with my brother who is 91.

Diane Findlen Garrow

“You are a fragile vessel”, my Self said to Myself
“You look like a smiling Buddha”

Yet inside where the shards of glass still linger
With a concerted effort to reglue

I wrote earlier “Enough is enough”

There are many voices that whisper, some yell, yet
The vessel seeks to greet the morning with one clear voice
That says

“Hello I am here…”

That is the enough speaking back to the enough

2014 Diane Findlen Garrow

The first dawn songbird
Easily shifted her rhythm
From an intro plus treble
To an intro plus double
With such ease…

It is glorious to behold God’s creation
In all its wonders…

Diane Findlen Garrow 8/4/24

Deep within the branches
A world of motion lives
Barely to be noticed
Until the branch
It gives

Gives itself to motion
Gives itself to sway
Oh, I see them!
Glory!
The birds return this day

Return with song and flutter
Return with chirps and play
Our Spring and Summer overflow

God’s dear feathered loved ones
Cheering us this day!

Early morn
Great mystery abounds

Pale blue sky
And barely pink streaks
In the clouds

Not a leaf quivering
Birds gently
Pronounce their presence

Late September
Maple leaves
Like patches of gold
Perfectly still

Not quite chilly

The Almighty has created

The perfect Autumn landscape

Diane Findlen Garrow

9/30/24

The Almighty
Has created
The perfect
Autumn landscape

As I gaze upon its form
I cannot help but think:
Of all the souls who sat and rocked
Caressing their babes
And praying in sync

With those they loved
With souls they’d lost
Through the years
On this restful chair
They sat and rocked through all the tears
Knowing the sun would appear!

I got the rocker second hand
Tis a treasure for me now
Its presence in our home reminds
That life is short
And so profound

So sit a spell
Enjoy its feel
The back and forth will soothe
Life’s pains and burrs and sudden jars
Life never always smooth

So say a prayer of thanks to God
Abundant gifts He gives.
Stay the course.
Never doubt
And let the grace of God abound!