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My Backyard
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The Campfire
Elisha loves to build a fire;
His dog is near, she loves to watch
For birds that she will try to catch.
They each pursue their own desire—
One by her leaps, one with a match.
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The Dog House
The dog house over years has held
Not only pups but ducks and hens
And cats and kittens. One time when
The time came for our dog to whelp
She stayed there while she birthed her ten!
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The Birds
Around my house the small birds fly,
The sparrows and the chickadees
Constructing nests and finding seeds.
Though by their nature they are shy
They’ll feed near me to meet their needs.
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The Trail
I look out where the pine trees part
To make a pathway in the woods
A covert spot for timid harts.
The squirrels from nut to acorn dart
Ensuring they have winter food.
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The Chicken Coop
My oldest son once built a coop
Upon the hill behind my home.
My window lets me view the group
Of silkie bantams as they roam.
The roosters I’ll turn into soup.
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Ecclesiastes Rhymes
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Tapestry of Life
His ways to man are mysteries unknown.
Secretly together He entwines
The victories, defeats and highs and lows
To weave complete life’s tapestry in time.
—Ecclesiastes 3:11
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God’s Gifts
To enjoy the good of work and toil,
Home and health and thy beloved’s kiss,
Bread and wine and finest olive oil,
Is from the Lord to man a precious gift.
—Ecclesiastes 3:13
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The Fool
You know him by his multitude of words,
Each sentence digs him deeper in the ground,
When put to speech his thoughts are most absurd.
He’ll be where fools and folly both are found.
—Ecclesiastes 5:3b
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A Good Night’s Sleep
A man may rest upon a bed of feathers
Or he might have a pillow made of stone.
But sweetness of his sleep depends on whether
He labored well or was a lazy-bones.
—Ecclesiastes 5:12a
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Gigi Ryan is a wife, mother, grandmother, and home educator. She lives in rural Tennessee.
Gigi, this is a fascinating collection of poems that reflective and heartwarming. Your backyard was like mine growing up on a farm including turning the rooster into soup! I really enjoyed the short poems as well from Ecclesiastes. Each one is a great lesson for living and a precious rhyming poem.
Roy,
It may be cliche, but, if you know you know. It is a blessing to grow up with animals. My children grew up with chickens, goats, rabbits, and dogs and cats of course. Chickens are my very favorite. After years of having chickens for their usefulness, I bought myself some silkie chickens, show in the photo. They are not very “useful” but I love watching them so much, as I have all my flocks, to be honest.
I am glad you enjoyed the poems from Ecclesiastes – they were fun to write.
Thanks for commenting.
Gigi
All of these were excellent. You can’t go wrong with anything out of Ecclesiastes, but I particularly enjoyed the sneak peek at your backyard. The 5-line format worked very well with a real zinger ending each one.
Dear Warren,
I am glad you enjoyed the glimpse of my backyard. (Cheryl Corey’s recent Quintilla series inspired me.) Thank you for saying so.
Gigi
The first poem is a series of vignettes, and might well accompany snapshots or small drawings. Such poetic vignettes were common in early printed books, where they served as captions or thumbnail descriptions of an engraving or woodcut. Here the poems are narrative/descriptive.
The “Ecclesiastes Rhymes” are what might be called “encapsulations” of the text references that follow each one. They take the scriptural text’s meaning, and either restate it different terms,, or develop it more fully, or both. Here the poems are explicatory.
I hope this verbose comment doesn’t make me The Fool of Ecclesiastes 5:3b.
Dear Joseph,
I love the idea of snapshots or drawings to go with each vignette. I might have to try that and make a little book for my grandchildren. (I am regularly appalled at the current selections of children’s books – poor writing, poor artwork, and poor stories.) Children deserve better. A. A. Milne and Beatrix Potter are among my favorites when choosing what to read to my grandchildren. To be sure, there are modern selections that are excellent, but there is much to pass over while searching for the good ones.
I appreciate your comment and your writing and never consider your words to be that of The Fool I describe.
Gigi
I see that you have some quintillas here. Yeah, Gigi!
Dear Cheryl,
Thank you for inspiring me with your recent quintilla series!
Gigi
I must say, Gigi, that these small poems are a delight. The ones in “My Backyard” evoke meanings and connections that do not necessarily appear on the surface. “They’ll feed near me to meet their needs” is a superbly assonant line (with subtle alliteration) that also hints at the necessity for an ethos of practicality required for country living. The photo at the top reminds of what I looked at for three years when I lived in Blue, Arizona, but without the Southwestern flavor. The people with whom I moved to Blue and I were partial to Bluegrass Music, but the natives were steeped in Texas Swing & Classic Country. Nonetheless, the let it go and gave us a pass. Whenever we played music together (which we did on all of the cardinal holidays), we were called The Barbwire Boys.
Dear C.B.,
I am thrilled that these little poems delighted you. I am also happy that you had the joy of a similar view when you were in Blue, Arizona. “The Barbwire Boys” is a grand name for a bluegrass band. Playing music in an informal way as you describe is another simple pleasure, like chicken watching, that I fear few of the younger generations are experiencing.
Gigi
Gigi,
I wrote a response, then evidently forgot to send it! Anyway, your garden grows splendidly (but don’t count on my like to water it). And your poems from Ecclesiastes (=Solomon the Wise right?) are both wise and appealing in a way E often is not.
Dear Julian,
Thank you for taking time to reply. I am very glad that you enjoyed them.
Gigi
Have a good night’s sleep, Gigi. You’ve demonstrated ability to work without too many words!
Dear Margaret,
Your succinct reply is appreciated!
Gigi
Being an urban, townie, I sometimes get beaten up by my wife for not enabling her to live in the countryside with chickens and goats etc. This is a wonderful antidote to all my sins: the only duff note is the dog house, which I am familiar with – as the dog – but where is there space for a cat? That would complete the wonderfulness of it all – well done!
Dear James,
You made me laugh with your familiarity with the doghouse.
Ah – the cat(s). I have two. They are very spoiled and spend much time indoors. I could write a series of poems about them. You have inspired me to do so.
Gigi
Really look forward to those cats Gigi!
These are so beautiful, Gigi; visual and musical. Thank you for helping us explore your vibrant backyard.
Dear Shamik,
I am delighted that you were able to visualize and hear the music of my poems. Thank you for visiting my backyard.
Gigi
Those poor old roosters.
Thanks for the tour, Gigi.
Hi Gigi!
I found one of your lovely poems on Jewelweed, and wanted to ask permission to use it in a nature study publication i am creating for homeschool students. I am trying to get a hold of you to request permission. Perhaps I may share my information and hear back from you via this message… I hope to hear from you! Thanks for considering!