IF (AND BECAUSE) YOU LOVE ME (with photos)

IF (AND BECAUSE) YOU LOVE ME

When it comes to the subject
of love and romance,
I must admit
that I really don’t have
too much to say
that hasn’t already been said
by those who can say it
so much better than me.
But the words that I offer
as I set them down here.
The words that I’d offer,
certainly come from my heart
and they mean what they say.

Love isn’t a subject
that I talk about much,
though very important,
as we most definitely know.
But for the purpose of this,
I’ll jot down some words
on the subject of love
as they come to me . . . .
I don’t set down many conditions
when it comes to love,
for love is unconditional
when it’s true and it’s real.
The topography isn’t complicated
and the maps are quite clear;
the roads are rather straightforward,
each one leading to my heart.

So I won’t say, “If you love me,”
but I will put it like this –
BECAUSE YOU LOVE ME,
you know how simple my needs,
respecting the me that is me,
as I respect you for you.
And because you love me,
you have a listening ear
and hear exactly what I say,
just as I listen in turn
to you and each and every word;
and because you love me,
you smile at least
every once in a while,
focusing on the good in life,
not dwelling on the bad.

And finally this –
Because you love me as you do,
you’ve handled with care
this heart of mine,
and I’ve done the same for you.



(c) barbara kausteklis

For CPC "The Friday Fling Writes Spring Romance."

http://www.friendburst.com/blog/87362/friday-fling-writes-spring-romance/

Thanks always for all visits and comments.

ONCE MORE RELEASED -- A Simple Sunday" Piece

"Artissimo" by Istavan Sandorfi


ONCE MORE RELEASED

Caught up again
within the tangled web
of my own imagination’s making,
I struggle to make some sense
of the shadowy visions,
the comings and goings
within shaded corners
where fragmented thoughts
so very often reside.

And as the light
shines down on me
and illuminates the dark,
all I can do is offer
who and what I am,
my hands and my heart,
whatever darkness
inside of me finally
released and cast aside,
inhaling the precious
breath of calm sweeping
over and through
my restless soul
and absorbing each
and every ray of light
that begins to find
this heart of mine.

(c) barbara kausteklis 4-29-12

Written for "A Simple Sunday"
today featuring Istavan Sandorfi.

http://www.friendburst.com/blog/87729/simple-sunday-istavan-sandorfi/

Thanks always for your visits and comments.

Wishing everyone a peaceful week ahead
as we begin a new month.


~barb~

WITHIN A REFLECTIVE MOMENT

WITHIN A REFLECTIVE MOMENT

A chill in the air,
I pause a moment to reflect
on the yesterdays of my life
as I see them once more
in the rivers and forests,
where again I go in my mind
to find the self that is me.
And sometimes,
lost from sight,
Nature sweeps them away
as blotting them out,
I leave some
of those days behind.



(c) barbara kausteklis 4-25-12

Pic-Apart Celebrates April With Robert Frost.

http://www.friendburst.com/blog/87391/pic-apart-celebrates-april-robert-frost/

Thanks for your visits and comments.

~barb~

FROM ME TO YOU (with photos)

FROM ME TO YOU

What can I give you
to say that I care?
Money or jewels
or other fancy things,
wrapped up in special boxes
and tied with pretty bows?
I’ve thought long and hard
about what it could be,
something that will last
more than just a day or two.
And now I know what they are
because you give me the same –
I carry them with me all the time,
and they get me through
even the most difficult days.

So I give you a smile
and a cheery hello;
and a hug to let you know
that everything’s going
to be okay no matter what;
and I give you a simple melody,
one that you can hum out loud
or simply sing within your heart.

For it’s those little things
that make my day,
the sweetest song
sung out of tune;
rainbows and flowers
colored outside the lines;
sparrows splashing in puddles
just after a spring rain;
a smile,
a wink,
the smallest hug.
These are the things
that you give to me,
that make me smile
and make me laugh
and make me cry
and soothe my soul
and make my heart sing.

And each of these words
is a hug from me,
from my heart to yours
across time and space.




(c) barbara kausteklis 4-26-12

Written for "Thematic Attic/Hug a Friend."

http://www.friendburst.com/blog/87461/thematic-attic-thursdayhug-friend/

TOWARD THE RAINBOW (with photos) -- Blogophilia 9.5

Blogophilia week 9.5 - "A Happy Journey"

Bonus Points:
(Hard, 2pts): mention 3 songs with a color in their title
(Easy, 1pt): quote Pink Floyd

Final date to post BLOG: April 28, 2012 - Saturday, midnight Pacific Time

Final date to post ALL GUESSES: April 27, 2012 - Friday, midnight Pacific Time

Please highlight or otherwise point out your bonus points attempts.

Guess correctly who submitted the topic... and a correct guess at who submitted the picture earns you additional points.

Guess correctly the secret "word or phrase" earns a chance at more points. Including the secret word or phrase within your blog content earns an additional point.

******************




TOWARD THE RAINBOW

On this morning
so radiant and clear,
I could almost touch the sky --
it seemed so very near.
And with each ray of sunlight
that flowed into my hands,
I inhaled the freshness
that this new day
was meant to be,
thankful once again
to be well on my way.

And on this day
it occurred to me
how much a part I am
of all that I see
and everything surrounding me,
taking my cues from those
who climb as far as they can
to see even further
than they ever imagined
or dreamed.

And I stop here
for just a moment,
preparing for the steps ahead,
the next adventure,
the next journey
beyond what I currently see.





It's been a rather HAPPY JOURNEY so far,
I'm relieved to be able to say,
not too many tears
or major catastrophes
to hinder my steps along the way.
In fact, it's been pretty smooth sailing
across the miles
and across most
of these many years.





And along the winding road
I've been blessed to see
robin's eggs of baby blue,
green fields stretching out
before me for untold miles;
autumn leaves turning a rich
golden brown;
rivers and mountains
and the waves of the sea,
every so often
paradise beckoning to me.

Every step I've taken
along the journey of my life
has become a part of who I am
as I embrace each
one of them with joy.
And I must admit that it's so,
these words summing it up for me,
“Long you live and high you'll fly
and smiles you'll give
and tears you'll cry
and all you touch
and all you see
is all your life will ever be.”





(c) barbara kausteklis 4-26-12

Written for Blogophilia 9.5/"A Happy Journey."

http://www.myspace.com/blogophilia/blog/545617265

GUESSES

TOPIC SUBMITTED BY: Sharonlee

PICTURE SUBMITTED BY: Ruz





PHRASES: The Three Musketeers, Three Amigos, Tres Amigos, Notting Hill, Radio Flyer, Gone With the Wind, Rabbit Run, Wagon Train, Desperados, Friends, Three on a Mattress, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Downhill Racer, Two Men and a Lady, Watership Down, Armed and Dangerous, Harry Met Sally, Three Men Standing, Close Encounter of the Third Kind, Jailbreak, Bladerunner, I Really Have No Idea . . . .

SONG TITLES WITH COLORS USED:

Baby Blue – 1979 – Beach Boys

Greenfields - 1960 - Brothers Four

Golden Brown - 1982 - Stranglers

PINK FLOYD QUOTE USED:

“Long you live and high you'll fly and smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry and all you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be.”


****************

Thanks always for visiting and commenting
and for sharing another Blogophilia Week with me.


~barb~

WITH THE SPRING (with photos)

WITH THE SPRING

Lost in emotion,
these words falter
and hesitate,
beginning and
and ending,
finding a voice
and written
across life's pages
like flowers opening up
as the snow melts away.



(c) barbara kausteklis 4-24-12

Written for CPC "Pic-Apart Poetry,"
this month featuring Robert Frost.

http://www.friendburst.com/blog/87391/pic-apart-celebrates-april-robert-frost/

The idea of "Pic-Apart Poetry" is to choose 25 words from the posted piece(s) and create a piece of your own. It's always a joy to co-host each month with Silver Lining/Cherie.

Thanks for your visits and precious comments.

Big Hugs.

~barb~

AS SAD TEARS FLOW (with photo)

AS SAD TEARS FLOW

Sorrowful tears flowing,
Mother Nature still weeps,
her voice weary,
her heart breaking
as we continue
to ignore her pleas,
her fervent wishes,
not too much to ask,
that we reuse
and recycle
and take care
of what we have;
that we conserve
the precious gifts
entrusted to our care.

But, as we know,
and sadly so,
her pleas unheeded go;
her gardens and her rivers
trampled upon and abused;
her oceans and trees neglected,
uprooted so and bruised
when all it takes
is a little care,
responsibility
and respect.
That’s all that’s needed
to make things right
and begin to repair
what we have so destroyed.
And we see it everywhere.

For when all
is said and done,
we’re just travelers
on borrowed time.
And though we have
a lot of work to do
for all Mother Nature
has been through,
it’s up to us
to fix what we’ve broken
and to make things better
for the next generation.

(c) barbara kausteklis 4-23-12
For Earth Day 2012

DYING TO FIT IN -- A Simple Sunday

"Carta a Eva" -- Artist: Amelia Arranz


DYING TO FIT IN

Blinded
by the runway lights
and deafened
by the oooh's and ah's,
one foot in front of the other
and trying to manage
the narrow path
they've got us on.
Self-image lost,
so blinded there
within the glare of fame
and fortune we're on.

Fashion statements
to adoring crowds,
children dying to be
grown up before their time;
childhood lost and traded in
for what's hot today
according to what "they" say.

What a price we pay
as we try to fit in;
and how much we lose
trying not to be passe.

(c) barbara kausteklis 4-22-12

Written for "A Simple Sunday"
this week featuring the art of Amelia Arranz
and her "Carta a Eva."

http://www.friendburst.com/blog/87292/simple-sunday-happy-earth-day/

Thanks always for your visits and comments.

~barb~

OF SUNNY DAYS AND STELLAR NIGHTS -- Blogophilia 8.5

Blogophilia week 8.5 - "Stellar Nights"

Bonus Points:

(Hard, 2pts): mention a type of perfume
(Easy, 1pt): include burning bridges

Final date to post BLOG: April 21, 2012 - Saturday, midnight Pacific Time

Final date to post ALL GUESSES: April 20, 2012 - Friday, midnight Pacific Time

Please highlight or otherwise point out your bonus points attempts.

Guess correctly who submitted the topic... and a correct guess at who submitted the picture earns you additional points.

Guess correctly the secret "word or phrase" earns a chance at more points. Including the secret word or phrase within your blog content earns an additional point.

***************




OF SUNNY DAYS AND STELLAR NIGHTS

Quite often I drop what I'm doing
and stand back to reflect
on life and love
and the day ahead
and what the future holds
over the rainbow's edge.
I wonder about so many things
that wander through my head
though coming to very few conclusions,
just more to think about instead.

Sometimes I wonder
why I come here
to this particular spot,
this place I've come
to call my own
where I set down
at least a few of my thoughts.



I come back here again
with nothing particular to say
that's deep or profound
or wise in any way;
just sharing a few
of the sights and the sounds,
reflections crossing my path,
that I'm happy to pass along
and to share with my friends.

I come here in the middle of the day
and when the stars are shining bright;
I come here when I'm happy or sad;
it doesn't really matter -- day or night.
And I come here to this page again
because of the lines I read,
the words I hear,
the friends who share their wisdom
and their hearts with me,
not just once in a Blue Moon,
but whenever they can,
sharing sunny days
and stellar nightsand everything in between,
burning bridges of the past
and creating new bridges
to what the future brings.


(c) barbara kausteklis 4-19-12

Written for Blogophilia 8.5/"Stellar Nights."

http://www.myspace.com/blogophilia/blog/545585639

GUESSES:


TOPIC SUBMITTED BY Sassy Sue

PICTURE SUBMITTED BY Sharonlee



PHRASES A tree grows in Brooklyn, hands, The Hand, Cool Hand Luke, Idle Hands, Gifted Hands, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, 5D Bonzai Adventure Rajaouri Garden, The Tree of Life, Bonsai, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, The Tree, Roots, Twisted Roots, The Roots, Cool Hand Luke, Bonzai

PERFUME: Blue Moon

***************
Thanks always for visiting and commenting -- always such an encouragement to me -- and for sharing another Blogophilia Week with me.

~barb~

BLOOMING WITH JOY (with photos)

BLOOMING WITH JOY

The sun in the sky,
hints of blue
and muted clouds,
every bird that sings
shares its song
with my heart.
A breath of wind
flows silently
through the passes
and across the hills;
where it starts
and where it ends
there’s no one
who really knows.

But on this morning
that has brought with it
raindrops spilling over
from yesterday,
the sun begins to shine
through a break in the clouds
as the warmth of joy returns.
And once more,
as far as my eye can see,
poppies dance within
the springtime breeze,
upon a canvas of
green and gold,
vibrant and joyful
in the sweet glow
of the sun,
blooming again
for all to see.

And upon this page,
words dance once more
across the pages of my heart
and lift me up again,
bringing joy to my day
that I had a bit of trouble
beginning to find before.



(c) barbara kausteklis 4-18-12

Written for CPC "Wonderful Wednesday Writes for Joy."

http://www.friendburst.com/blog/87001/wonderful-wednesday-writes-joy/

Thanks always for all visits and comments.

~BARB~

GETTING BACK UP (AND STANDING TALL) -- a Collab with photo

GETTING BACK UP
(AND STANDING TALL)

I wish I could gaze
into a crystal ball,
and see the many things
hiding underneath it all;
uncovering each one,
once and for all,
and see the future
laid out so clearly
in front of me.

Alas, no crystal ball
do I have in front of me,
only eyes that see
the things I see;
but with my imagination's eye
I can see as clearly as can be
what's over the horizon
in front of me
and behind
and to the side
the things that I see.

And it has been
quite a journey to recall,
imagining that crystal ball
and what it holds,
what's yet to come.
For where love has left scars,
we've survived and didn't fall;
we noticed the signs
and heeded their call
and strove to succeed
and break our fall.

We always got up
after each bump in the road;
and there was no wall
too high to keep us
from moving ahead.

And as I look into
my imagination's
crystal ball today,
while I don't really want
to know it all,
I see more than I ever
asked that I see
and hope that the future
will be even greater
for you and me.

So we wipe those tears away
and go forward standing tall,
as no matter the weather,
we will survive it all.

Thanks to these Pals for sharing
their wonderful lines with me:
Angel Love, Sheila A, Flossie, Diane,
Russell, Marcia, Bettie, and Me, Barbara

(c) barbara kausteklis 4-15-12

Written for the CPC "Saturday Share."

http://www.friendburst.com/blog/86189/it%e2%80%99s-time-give-one-more-line-19/

Lines selected in addition to my own:

As I gaze into my crystal ball (Angel Love) (REQUIRED)

Secrets hide underneath it all (Sheila A)
So wipe those tears and go forward and stand tall. (Flossie)
No matter the weather, you will survive all (Angel Love)
Where love left you scars but, you did not fall (Diane)
Then, I learned to live and love all (Diane)
Hoping this future will be greater than the past (Russell)
I saw more than I ever asked (Angel Love)
Would you really want to know it all (Marcia)
Keep striving to succeed until you no longer fall (Diane)
You’ll always get up after the fall (Marcia)

Thanks always for your visits and comments.

Hoping this week has been a most excellent one so far.

~barb~

RISING TO MEET THE SUN

“Untitled” by Philippe-Alain Gilleron


RISING TO MEET THE SUN

I can’t even begin to imagine
what it must have been like
to have witnessed the birth
of this place we call Earth
as I watch the restless giant
from way down here below,
smoke seeping through
the cracks and fissures
rising to meet the sun.
I can only stand in awe
and marvel at what I see,
the Creator’s hand at work,
as what has been dormant
rises out of the darkness,
power once more unleashed,
released into the Now.

And as I watch
the smoke ascend
I’m reminded once again
of the day the mighty
mountain spoke,
lava flowing to the sea,
nothing left within
the path she carved
as her ashen cloud
blackened the sky.

And the way I saw
myself and the world
was never the same again.

(c) barbara kausteklis 4-15-12

Written for "A Simple Sunday" which featured
Philippe-Alain Gilleron and his "Untitled" painting above.

http://www.friendburst.com/blog/86141/simple-sunday-beautiful/

Thanks always for your visits and comments.

~barb~

FRIENDSHIP'S SPRINGTIME GARDEN (with photos)

FRIENDSHIP’S SPRINGTIME GARDEN

Lingering for just a moment
at my window of dawn,
I inhale the sweet fragrances
from my garden of morn,
nighttime dreams left behind
to visit another time.
Seeds of friendship
sown with care and love
are blooming in the garden,
nurtured from above,
exquisite jewels sparkling
in the April morning sun.
Sprinkled liberally with tears
of sadness and joy,
friendship flowers bloom
just outside my window here,
blossoms of precious silver and gold
filling this vase within my heart
as they’ve graced my special garden
on this beautiful springtime day.



(c) barbara kausteklis 4-13-12

Written for Friday Fling/
"Friday Fling Shares Gardening Tips Didactically."

http://www.friendburst.com/blog/86315/friday-fling-shares-gardening-tips-didactically/

Thanks always for your friendship and comments.

WITHIN THE BLOSSOMS OF SPRING -- A Springtime Collab with photos

WITHIN THE BLOSSOMS OF SPRING

Opening up to see the morning sun,
the flower buds begin to bloom,
their colors painting the fields galore;
bountiful beauty the Creator has in store.
Brightening Mother Nature's room,
new birth replaces pain and gloom
as beautiful fragrances fill the air,
Spring replaces Winter everywhere.

Mother Earth nurturing
each blossom with care,
hope springing eternal
within the lilies of spring;
forever a spark in my soul to ignite,
spring gives me a feeling
so full of delight.

Spring's delightful fragrances
take my breath away
as fruit trees explode in quilts
of pastel pinks and whites.
And I can't help but notice
that Spring has finally arrived
and that from now on
everything will be alright
as the rose and the dandelion
are clearly meant to be.




(c) barbara kausteklis 4-7-12

Thanks to the following Pals for sharing their lines with me:
Angel Love, Bettie, Dee, Russell, Scotorum, Michelle K, Diane,
Mary Margaret, Marcia, and Me, Barbara K

Written for the last week's "Saturday Share."

http://www.friendburst.com/blog/85934/saturday-share-22/
Lines selected in addition to my own:

"THE FLOWER BUDS BEGIN TO BLOOM (required)

Blooms opening up to see the morning sun (Bettie)
Colors painting the fields galore(dee)
Fields filled with beauty and bountiful blooms (RUSSELL)
Brightening Mother Nature’s room (Scotorum)
The Rose and the Dandelion were meant to be (Marcia)
New births releasing gloom (Diane)
A beautiful fragrance fills the air (Angel Love)
Nurtured with care from mother earth (Michelle K)
A fragrance so sweet it takes away all the gloom (Bettie)
Forever a spark my soul ignite(Mary)
Spring giving me a feeling so full of delight (Michelle K)
Making me feel that everything is alright (Angel Love)

Thanks always for your visits and precious comments.

Sending love and hugs from springtime-blooming Southern California.

~barb~

BEYOND IMAGINATION'S DOOR -- Blogophilia 7.5

"Hot Potatoes" and "Bunny Ears" --
quite the combination . . . .

Blogophilia week 7.5 - "Thriving On Chaos"

Bonus Points:

(Hard, 2pts): mention Steve Martin in bunny ears
(Easy, 1pt): include a "Hot Potato"

Final date to post BLOG: April 14, 2012 - Saturday, midnight Pacific Time

Final date to post ALL GUESSES: April 13, 2012 - Friday, midnight Pacific Time

Please highlight or otherwise point out your bonus points attempts.

Guess correctly who submitted the topic... and a correct guess at who submitted the picture earns you additional points.

Guess correctly the secret "word or phrase" earns a chance at more points. Including the secret word or phrase within your blog content earns an additional point!!

********************

BEYOND IMAGINATION'S DOOR

It's all a matter of degree,
if you ask me,
the reality I see,
what I choose it to be,
sometimes lingering
in that narrow space
between reality
and what's just beyond
imagination's door,
that place can be
what and exactly how
I want it to be,
where I always find
just who I am
and can always be
the me that is me.

And in the midst of the madness
and chaos of each day,
the freeways,
the news,
the noise to confuse,



over the years
I've learned a lesson
or two or three --
how to change the subject
when it gets too much,
to drop it like a hot potato
and turn my attention
to something else,
to change the subject
to occupy my mind
with something guaranteed
to make me smile,
some vintage TV,
a comedy or two,
a walk in the park,
a sunset view;
even Steve Martin
in bunny ears will do
the trick
and change my view.



And soon I'm back
to my somewhat normal self,
reminded once more
(and again and again)
that there still can be
some beauty and some fun
in the midst of the madness
that we're confronted with
each and every day
as I find myself
inspired by the way
so many face the challenges
that each day brings to them,
surviving and even thriving
on the chaos that life
so often has in store
as I try to follow
their example
and welcome
whatever challenges
that every tomorrow brings.

Surviving and thriving on chaos
and full speed ahead.

(c) barbara kausteklis 4-12-12

Written for Blogophilia 7.5/"Thriving on Chaos."

http://www.myspace.com/blogophilia/blog/545554298

GUESSES

TOPIC SUBMITTED BY: Christopher

PICTURE SUBMITTED BY: Tyler





PHRASES:

Peter Cottontail walking down the bunny Trail, One foot in front of the other, Oceanside, Fenced in, Railroad, Bunny costume, dejected, sad, Here Comes Peter Cottontail, Steve Martin in bunny ears, Man in white, Bugs Bunny, Peter Rabbit, bunny hop, Bunny Trail, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, bump in the road, a wild and crazy guy, Boardwalk, watch your step, Let's Get Small, Saturday Night Live, Excuse me, "Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter," step it up, windbreak, broken fences, don't fence me in, spring break, Easter vacation, going downhill, down the trail, mending fences, droopy ears

Thanks always for your visits and precious comments
and for sharing another Blogophilia week
and smile with me.

~barb~

RELEASED AND SET FREE

RELEASED AND SET FREE

Doing the best I can
with what I have today,
I try to look beyond
the very next step
to what lies ahead
through tomorrow’s door
as I leave the rest behind
and get it out of my mind.

I’m tucking away
those memories,
putting them back
where they belong,
in treasured boxes created
especially for them;
tiny remnants
and random bits,
leftover pieces
of another day,
another time,
layers of thought,
some half forgotten
and others almost lost,
faint images and muffled words;
I’m leaving them behind.

And finally,
after all these years,
I’m beginning to see
what has burdened my heart
and unsettled my soul.
And so I’ve begun
to put it all away
and let it all go,
released to no longer
get the better of me
as mixed with the ink
that flows through my pen,
it fills up the pages
and once-empty spaces
in lines woven with care.





(c) barbara kausteklis 4-9-12

Written for "Magic Monday/Magic of Life."

"Life is like photography.
You develop from the negatives."

http://www.friendburst.com/blog/85317/magic-life/

Thanks always for your visits and comments.

~barb~

IN DUE TIME

Cellphone Photo by "Mystery Guest Artist"


IN DUE TIME

Fleeting,
ephemeral,
where the beginning
ends
and the end
begins,
hazy and blurred,
moments flowing
into
and
out of
what comes next,
random pieces
of life,
disconnected,
half remembered,
mostly forgotten,
and life continues . . . .

And on those days
when all things
seem a blur
and the lines overlap
and distort,
I know that
when the time is right
light overcomes dark,
and all things
become clear
once again . . . .
in due time.

(c) barbara kausteklis 4-8-12
Easter Sunday 2012

Written for "A Simple Sunday."

http://www.friendburst.com/blog/86142/simple-sunday-picture-challenge-resurrected-guest-artist/

Thanks always for all visits and comments.

Wishing everyone a most excellent week ahead.

~barb~

SPRINGTIME SMILES (Blogophilia 6.5 with photos)

Blogophilia week 6.5 - "Hilaria"

Bonus Points:
(Hard, 2pts): include the Pacific Northwest tree octopus (Octopus paxarbolis)
(Easy, 1pt): include a jackelope

Final date to post BLOG: April 7, 2012 - Saturday, midnight Pacific Time
Final date to post ALL GUESSES: April 6, 2012 - Friday, midnight Pacific Time

Please highlight or otherwise point out your bonus points attempts.

Guess correctly who submitted the topic... and a correct guess at who submitted the picture earns you additional points!!

Guess correctly the secret "word or phrase" earns a chance at more points. Including the secret word or phrase within your blog content earns an additional point!!

-------------------------------

SPRINGTIME SMILES

So many things
put a smile on my face,
more than I can count,
but I'll share just a few.

I can't help but smile at
the ducks having fun
as they're paddling about
in the afternoon sun.




And dragonflies of summer,
laced-winged beauties of gold,
resting on lily pads
a sight that never gets old;
and squirrels taking naps,
dreaming the afternoon away;
and butterflies and rainbows
as the sun appears after the rain;
and kites soaring so high
on a day at the beach




and bubbles floating in front
of my face at the fair.




But there are a couple of things
I had forgotten up till now,
that put even more
than a smile on my face,
adding a welcome bit
of springtime hilaria
to an otherwise serious day,
as I recall the astonishing events
that made me feel this way.

The sky was crystal clear,
not a cloud in the sky,
waves of heat rising,
a desert mirage far away;
and suddenly an apparition
never expected appeared
right before my eyes,
a giant jackrabbit
with antlers so tall,
a jackalope wonder,
no doubt at all.





And not far away,
I swear that it's true,
an octopus in branches
hanging upside down
in clear view.
I don't know how it got there,
a Northwest PacificTree Octopus,
I have to presume,
quite out of its element
in this desert at high noon.





But there they were,
jackalope and octopus
right before my eyes,
fast friends already
certainly to my surprise.
I never expected
that trip to be so much fun
but when we got home
a great story to tell
and a springtime celebration
of Hilaria as well.


(c) barbara kausteklis 4-4-12
Written for Blogophilia 6.5/"Hilaria"

(Photos of tree octopus and jackalope
are internet images . . . .
and the other photos are my own.

http://www.myspace.com/blogophilia/blog/545525481


GUESSES:

TOPIC SUBMITTED BY: Ruggi

PICTURE SUBMITTED BY: Tyler





PHRASES:

April Fools, canned air, empty can, hot air, bogus, water under the bridge, empty air, airtight, joke, tin can alley, gas can, canned, evaporated into thin air, vaporized, invisible, scam, snake oil, Bernard's Baloney, Bernie's Blarney, hoax, jokes, tank of gas

A few interesting links:

Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus info

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Northwest_tree_octopus

Jackalope info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackalope

Hilaria info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilaria

****************

Thanks so much for your visits and comments and for sharing another Blogophilia week with me. These are always such a fun challenge.

Big Hugs.

~barb~

AS RAINDROPS FALL (Collab with photo)

AS RAINDROPS FALL

Washing away all
the tears I have cried,
sweet raindrops cleanse
my spirit when it begins
to falter along the way.
And as the drops
begin to fall,
forming puddles
all around,
the child within my heart
comes out to play
on this rainy day;
and we dance together
to the rhythm of each drop,
springtime showers
settling the fears
within my heart
and setting me free
to be really me.

And as the rains end
and the sun shines again,
we dance once more,
my heart's inner friend,
beneath the rainbows of spring,
the clouds departing
and leaving behind ,
as they do,
a better day along with
the peace to be found
and the love that never ends
as the springtime rain
comes pouring down.

(c) barbara kausteklis 3-31-12

Thanks to the following Pals
for sharing lines with me:
Angel Love, Ev, Dee, Mary Margaret,
Diane, Miz Nancy, Bettie and Me, Barbara

Required line
(tense can be altered):
"As the rain came pouring down."
A Collab written for the "Saturday Share."

http://www.friendburst.com/blog/85479/saturday-share-21/

Thanks always for your visits and precious comments.

~barb~