The Atascadero Writers Group
(Contributions by Various Members as Noted)
A Happy New Year
Betty Betty Finocchiaro - January 01, 2010
I awake this new morning
Lying beside you
Lazily turning my body toward you
desiring your warmth
Amazing myself that we still share
this life
This life
that we never dreamed would go on
this long.
When I was that small child
starry-eyed, full of wonder,
this year as remote as
a far-reaching star
could never be
Yet, here we are
Living the illusion,
the capricious tangible
we persevere as
Our life
And – Where more will it lead us
Now that we have reached
the pinnacle,
Or have we?
There is so much more to see
Perhaps a bit more tiredly
so many more miles to go
The new year challenges
Dreams not yet explored,
Roads not yet taken,
Mysteries of our minds
unresolved
We must rise to
greet this new day
that beckons,
that eluded us
so long ago
Embracing once more
You reassure me that
there are many more to come
on each side of adulthood
sharing stories destined to become
the future
Since My Childhood
Jim Carlisle 12-13-2013 (rev)
So many things recall
childhood memories
like asphalt roads and telephone poles
or ants along pavement cracks
is their time measured more finely
than mine?
The movie Destination Moon
captured my boyhood imagination
seeming so distant in the future
now those manned lunar landings
seem as far removed in the past
Memories and dreams living together
like grandparents with grandchildren
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Birdbath Weather Report
Drawing and Poem by George Asdel
You don't need TV, radio, or computers
to tell the weather. Just look out the
window at your birdbath for the breaking news.
Is it raining? How hard? If you see raindrops
it's raining. A mound of virgin white snow
will tell you if it's snowing.
Is it hot or dry? The water will evaporate.
If it's below freezing, there will be ice,
the colder the thicker. If there's surf and the
water is churning you can be sure the wind
is blowing, maybe a tornado is near––
you'd better take cover.
Earthquake? The birdbath will be rocking.
You'd better take cover again. The fog will
hide it, and the Sun will shine in it.
So who needs all those electronic devices?
They can't compete. Just look at the birdbath,
relax––have a seat.
To Martin
by Elizabeth Buckner
Martin, you always knew
when a leader shouldered
the cloak of the crusader
underneath he donned
the mantle of the martyr.
The first time you were hurt
the knife wound was so close to the aorta
had you sneezed, you would have died
Did you feel the archangel's
wings protecting you?
When you marched
from Selma to Montgomery
did you feel archangels by your side
matching you step for step
and wing for wing?
The night before when you spoke
of "the mountain top" to the multitudes
your troubled soul finally at peace
did you hear the wings of the angels
this time cherubim and seraphim
flap and flutter at the temple shutters?
On that fateful day at the Memphis motel
did you know, and did you go
out on that balcony
to allow the angels the moment
to provide your spirit with
a straight shot to heaven?
Martin, you always knew
when a leader shouldered
the cloak of the crusader-hero
that underneath he donned
the mantle of the martyr
but were you aware
of the angel's wings, too?
Copies to: J. Christ, J. D'Arc, A. Lincoln, M. Gandhi,
J. F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, R. F. Kennedy, S. Biko, S. Allende, C. Guevara, Y. Rabin, A. Sadat, J. Lennon
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Atascadero Writers Group
Front row, seated, left
to right: Curt Hinkle, George Zidbeck, Connie Shepard,
John Bullaro
Second row, standing,
left to right: Pat Bennett, Elizabeth Buckner, Betty
Finocchiaro, Jane Elsdon, George Asdel, Richard Hannibal
Third row, standing: Rose Marie Zurkan (hostess), Jim Carlisle
All content copyright Slo Coast Journal and Atascadero Writers Group. Do not use without express written permission.
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