Bird Table........................

I was watching the birds today and I get so much joy seeing them enjoy a good meal. This year has been really rough for them. The temperatures way below zero. Their poor little feet freeze to the branches. I have grapevines they enjoy sheltering in. This Nuthatch is enjoying some peanut butter. His gob is full and he kept coming back for more. I must put more peanut butter out. This little poem I wrote today and it sort of needs work but for now, its written down.

I love to see them fill up their craw Soon coming back and wanting more. Day by day I fill their table With as much as I am able. All my birds need lots to eat, If this Winter they can defeat. It's so much colder by far this year Many won't make it so I fear. Fat and bread and nuts and seed The Squirrels come to fill their need. Birds to me have the greater need And those are who I try to feed The others are welcome to their share I always make sure there is plenty to spare. ©Janice Kay Jan  2013

Closing The Door...............

When the first anniversary of the death of my Granddaughter Alex had passed, we felt like we could begin to move on. It was a difficult time for everyone, but especially for her Mother and her Dad, her sisters and us. She had been living with me on and off since she was 16. She was 21  when she died. Most people who follow my blogs know the story.  So here......at the end of that first year, I wrote this poem.

We close the door on this old sad year

Where loss and death caused many a tear.

A new year awaits with promise and hope,

We need to move on and begin to cope.

While memories linger we will still look back

yet we can set our feet on a brand new track.

We will close the door and lean on it.

Shut out its shadows, a new candle is lit.

We will always love the ones who have gone,

We have to move forwards and begin to be strong

New dreams and new challenges lay up ahead.

We can not look forwards to the future with dread.

Yes, we miss her we know that much for sure

But now is the time to close up that door.,

Pick up the candle, hold it up high

move onwards and forwards  with eyes to the sky

©JKS 2012

Magical Raindrops.........

Magical raindrops sparkle and shine Brighter than diamonds found in a mine. Bright little jewels caught in a sunbeam They make the girl inside of me dream. Dream of a misty fairy glade. Sparkles on every sunlit blade, helps that child in me to see A fairy who rides on a bumble bee. I hear them buzzing from flower to flower As I lay in a my secret bower. I drift into a dreamy haze Oh how I miss those childhood days, But childhood soon gives way to life. I became a mother and wife. Hard now to remember those long sunny days Where dewdrops sparkle in the suns bright blaze. ©Janice Kay 2012

Golden Fish.............

Golden Fish in garden pond hides beneath the lily frond. Flash of yellow,amber and gold jumps the surface feeling bold. Makes a splash but quickly hides To the bottom gracefully glides Plays among the water flowers, plays hide and seek for many hours. Ever watchful, shy and sleek carefully avoids the Herons beak. Coon and Fox and many more, Seek him out with deadly claw. Still he swims with spirit and ease Lives his life just as he please. Has no fear of what life brings Just for today his heart sings. For golden fish life is fun Morning up to setting sun ©Feb 2012 JKS

Evil winds.................

Evil winds blow cross the moor

Boats get scuttled upon the shore. Such pounding of great hideous waves Echoing through subterranean caves Lightening cracks and thunder rolls deep underground like awakening trolls Mists and rain roll in banks like fog Imagination sees the red eyed dog Devils hounds glide and bay For unwary travelers who carelessly stray Out on those moors all wild and cold Pay heed to those stories by firesides told Light windows with candles to guide folks back home The moors on such days are no place to roam., ©JKS 2011

Moon and Starlight..................

Stardust sprinkles in the sky Twinkles brightly .......I wonder why? Millions of worlds we'll never know Shine down on us ......forever so, Something magic's in the air Man made lights can not compare The lesser light doth rule the night  Always there, constant and bright. She moves in never ending phase Unlike the sun who rules the days Her icy light can touch the heart Weaving her magic then depart As day is sure to follow night Moon gives way to the greater light Evening comes again......moon rise Her wax and wane controls the tide Stars again like diamonds bright Welcome then another night. ©JKS 2012 One of my favourite poets is Walter De La Mare. I think probably because I love his name. However, one of his poems that I really like is this one. SILVER Slowly, silently, now the moon Walks the night in her silver shoon This way and that, she peers and sees Silver fruit upon silver trees One by one the casements catch Her beams beneath the silvery thatch. Couched in his kennel like a log With paws of silver sleeps the dog. From their shadowy cote the white breasts peep Of doves in silver feathered sleep A harvest mouse goes scampering by, with silver claws and silver eye and moveless fish in the water gleam By silver reeds in silver stream Walter de la Mare

Robin Redbreast................

Robin Redbreast......cheeky chap Will eat your lunch right from your lap. Garden friend, on spades he rests Proudly showing his bright breast. He waits for a worm or maybe a bug Examines the ground the gardener just dug. He fixes him with beady eye Unafraid he does not fly. Follows him to each new chore Always hoping to find more. He knows the man goes home to rest and so he flits back to his nest. Another day comes to its end A day well spent with his garden friend. ©JKS 2012 I am linking up with I should be mopping the floor

Alex.................

She was a shooting star in the summer sky, burned so bright and intense and then was gone too soon. Those who she touched will never forget that brilliant light, the smile that lit up the room.© Alex will have been gone from us for 3 years on Feb 7th it does not seem possible on so many levels. The verse above was something I wrote at the time. I have not done anything since then. Usually when I write I don't try, words just come. That has not happened. I don't know what to say. She was a person who had many problems in her life, she went through some difficult times mostly self inflicted. We loved her anyway and she left us a precious gift in her son Tristen. Maybe some day I will have a poem for her..................

Another winters day...............

I wrote this in December 2012 but it could have been today. We are in the midst of a blizzard. The mall has closed and the police say to stay off the roads. Gabby is coming here tonight instead of trying to get home. This has been a doozy of a winter so far. Even the Bay is freezing and its not done that in awhile. My friend took this picture on her way home this evening. She was making tracks on this road almost. The plows can not keep up with the work and are doing the best they can. Some storms one can not fight................so this weekend its snuggle up in the house and make the most of the peace and quiet. Tristen is at his aunties and will go sledding tomorrow. Maybe.......
The blue skies are turning grey Just another winters day A north wind begins to blow Soon the sky looks heavy with snow Fluffy pillows of white fall down Slow at first making no sound The wind picks up and starts to whine Sending icicles along his spine. The snow now comes in crazy swirls As the true storm now unfurls. Winds like a banshee shrieks Snow on snow forming high peaks. It blows and drifts across the fields, To this storm everything yields. Roads are closed and trees are down As all the lights go off in town. Man drifts back one hundred years Storms like this he always fears. Nature still has the upper hand. Man will never understand. He huddles down inside his bed and pulls the covers over his head. As the storm rages on all night Man will cringe and quiver with fright. The angry blast will eventually cease. Time to clean up piece by piece. Now to see what damage's done All becomes clear with the rising sun. Just another winters day and this storm goes on its way. ©JKS 2012 I am linking up with Inspire Me Monday

Deadly Hunter...........

Cat in garden raises a paw To sharpen up her deadly claw. She does not know her claws are gone as she listens to the Robins song. She crouches down.......a panther now "Watch me hunt .....I'll show you how" She hides behind a bush to wait, for a moment tempting fate. Wiggling her rear she prepares to spring unseen by the birds who sing. One more moment......maybe three. Oops!!! the birds flew to the tree. Foiled once more the hunter stops Cleans her tail and licks her chops. She never did intend to kill. She had her lunch and ate her fill. At least that's what her story's now She just wanted to show us how. In case the time should ever come When the hunt must be more than fun. ©JKS 2012

Dawn Chorus ..........

Four fifteen the singing starts. The Cardinal sings to burst his heart, All the others soon join the fun. The dawn chorus has just begun. With just one voice to wake the rest From their slumber in their nest. One by one they join the throng Hearts so full they burst with song. All summer long the day will start with these birds who share their heart. Joy brings joy and so it blooms Until the sun so brightly looms. Then they start their busy day To search for food no more time to play. ©JKS 2012

Autumn Leaves............

©jks 2013

December Dawn.....................

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December dawn through mists arise A new day faces frosty skies. Meadows silent under snows, Tree tops ring with the sound of Crows. Barron landscape crisply blue, Shadows tint the snow that hue. Icy tufts of long dead grass Protrude above the fields so vast. Turn to woodlands where Mistletoe  and bright red berries of Holly grow. Winters grasp will last awhile Before the Spring begins to smile. The Ivy shelters small cold things Against her breast they fold their wings. Snuggle up against the wall Away from winds and snow that falls, They'll venture out when the sun shines through To do the things they need to do. Meadow Lark hovers in the skies While Heron from the mist arise, To greet another winters day, With cheerful song that is their way. No winter chills the songbirds breast. Sing he will till evening rest. ©JKS 2012 Many of my poems are along the same lines. I suppose certain things move me to write my thoughts. Usually it is a way for me to grieve a loss of a pet or maybe a person. The weather changes and the beauty of things around me. I have no skill but enjoy simple verse. I have learned a few things along the way. I had another blogger tell me a bit about poems that I did not know. Hmmmm must not have listened that day in school. That is unless like many things they are modern inventions. I did not for example know Haiku, did not do that in school. I am not surprised because I don't get it. She told me about Cinquain poems, chained rhyme, Haiga and other things I didn't know. Naturally I have learned epic poems and like those as they tell a story and if well written can be easy to follow. Ballads are a way of telling a story and we all know what those are. A sonnet is another one most of us have at least heard of even though I did not realize there was a formula. So as I go on this journey I will try to figure out and try some of the different types of poem. Well maybe NOT the epics or Ballads or anything like that. I just want to learn. All for now.

Winter Walks...............

Spider webs spun like silver strings

Hung with diamonds and lacy wings

Winter mornings cold and crisp

I do not linger, walking brisk.

Past the fields where the cows all graze,

In morning mists and sunny haze.

Breath in clouds hang in the air

As they lift their bulky heads to stare.

I walk on past the village pond

Where cold ducks huddle on the bank beyond.

Snuggle down  with feathers fluffed

Against the winds ice cold gusts.

I stroll along through woods that sleep,

Past willow trees that hang and weep.

Along rushing streams and babbling brook

I hear the raucous calls of Rook.

Empty nests in tree tops high,

Darkened shadows against the sky.

I walk on back along the lane

As the sun rises up to warm again.

A watery sun in a winter sky

Silence breaks at the Jackdaws cry

My footsteps echo in this quiet place

Where cobwebs hang like frozen lace

They soon will melt as the sun gets strong

I hurry home now where I belong

Shed the gloves the coat the hat

Poke the fire and move the cat

She stays inside on Winter days

Curled up tight by the fires blaze,

I settle beside her on the chair

we sit and watch the fires glare

Safe and warm from Winters cold

That's the end, my stories told.

©Janice Kay Schaub 2012.

Dreams of England...................

I often dream of England, dream that I am there I roam the fields and long lost haunts, I wander everywhere. I walk in places from my youth with friends that I once knew I remember well those familiar roads but my dreams are all too few. I wish that I could stay there and live in those sweet dreams, But I must stay in this new world or that is how it seems. I know I must return here to live my daily life, I live here now because I am a mother and a wife. But my heart remains in England and til my dying breath,  I will dream that I am back there and sometime after death,  I will walk again those soft green paths, as my body rests beneath.  I will roam those flowery meadows the woodlands and the heath.  I will stroll through Bluebell Woods again through pastures oh so green  Among those ancient wondrous hills the best Iv'e ever seen.  Maybe I'll meet King Arthur. Who knows who will be there?  Merlin and Excaliber and all of those who share,  This love of that great country where the bravest and the best,  Can not lie in foreign soil, but all come home to rest. ©JKS 2011

Monarch.............

Beautiful Monarch of the sky On lacy wings through heavens fly A wonderful flower of brilliant hue Essence of life everlasting, true. Through birth and life in all it's form Chrysalis-death-to life reborn. Beautiful Monarch glide on the breeze Upwards onwards pass through the trees Seek out nectar of lovely flowers Bees your companion in peaceful hours Bask in sunshine, warm lazy days We could all learn from your peaceful ways. ©JKS 2011

Lady, retired.......

No more trail rides for me My time now is gonna be free. Free to live my life for pleasure I will be a Lady of leisure. Now I can be a lazy bum I thought this day would never come No more bit and no more bridle All my days are gonna be idle Mowing grass and eatin hay Thats how I will spend my day. Till that special hour should come and my grazin days are done. I'll enjoy my life I'll roll and play Enjoying each and every day. I'm here for treats and lovin and pettin I'm not dead yet so don't be forgettin. ©JKS 2000 Lady's motto: A carrot a day keeps the vet at bay.


I wrote that poem one day when I went out to where Lady was being boarded. She was laying in her stall with saddle and bridle on. I asked why and I guess she had been used on a trail ride and they were thinking of taking her out again. Now, the barn had always "used" our horses for trail rides and that was fine because they needed the exercise, but.........Lady was old then. Probably around 30 years old. I said enough.........you cant just keep taking her out and especially leaving her in the stall like that. Besides, they knew we went out there on that night and I would not ride her again if she had been out on the trails. So I wrote the poem. They were not happy.........eventually I moved her to a place that my friend was boarding her horse. It was just the two of us making 3 horses. Lady had lots of room to roam and had a great rest. Later we moved again to a friends house and by then I had retired and I saw her every day. She lived to be 41 years old and I am convinced had she remained at the original barn she would not have. We had a terrific relationship and I loved her very much. This picture looks so much like her and I am sure that she is in a happy place now.

Autumn Days..........

Autumn days russet and gold,  Winters breath blowing cold.  Puffy clouds float in blue sky  Leaves all colours, pile up high.  Sunny days so crisp and cool  Replace the heat beside the pool. Walks in woodlands now become  A pleasure for almost everyone.  Birds and beast do all prepare  For what comes so soon to their  woodland homes and place of rest. The birds prepare a winters nest.  The bears secure their winter homes  To sleep till Springtime once more comes  back again and life renews,  and woodlands wear much different hues.  Life again is fresh and young  Springtime comes for everyone. ©JKS 2011

Poetry and Poets......

I would never have said that I love poetry. I don't. So why my attempts to write it? I can't answer that. Sometimes it just happens, words come together and I write them down. It's usually at a time that I have had a personal loss. So do I have to be sad to write a poem? No. Sometimes, something like a walk in the woods, and exhilarating day or something else just makes me want to write it down and the words just come. SO I suppose for me its an emotional thing. When I was a child, or at least still in school, we learned poetry. I think to help us memorize things. Well some poems just went right over my head, the high falluting kind that I would get lost just trying to read. Or by reading I could not comprehend. Then again there are poems I have never forgot because the words for me were magic. " When the stars threw down their spears and watered heaven with their tears" those words just grab my imagination and my heart for some reason. The whole poem by Walter Blake "The Tiger" I have never forgotten it. Maybe its the popular poets who wrote in drug induced hazes that I don't get but yet on a good day could create such beauty with words. Then my favourite as a child was "The Song of Hiawatha" it gave me a great love and interest in Native Americans that never left me. Ironic too that I end up in Hiawatha country. I remember getting an A on that one in school because I wrote an essay on it. I am not sure where I am going yet with this blog.....I began with the idea of recording my own poems just so I could get them all together and printed out eventually. That will take some time. I like to illustrate them with a picture I found or something I did myself. So putting it together will also take time. I have learned from other bloggers who write that there are many many forms of poetry and now I know I will explore them all. Continued education in a way..........now if I could only spell.

Fantasy..........

Dreams of dragons and scaley things,  Toadstalls and Fairy rings.  Fairy tales and fantasy  and all the things that delight me. ©JKS 2014

Solitude........

A quiet walk on a well worn path  Thru woodlands lush and green.  solitude and silence echo the birds sweet song.  Butterfly and Dragonfly the only things to be seen. The whisper of a falling leaf  My footsteps fall on moss, all soft and giving.  The pungent odours from long dead trees  Bringing sustenance to all things living. ©JKS 2000