Saturday, August 23, 2025

Mary had a little Raleigh


 Mary had a flowery Raleigh 

Flowery Raleigh

Flowery Raleigh

And everywhere that Mary went

The flowers were sure to follow.

Scent of a rose


 Scent of a rose


‘Sero te amavi, Pulchritudo tam antiqua et 

tam nova! Sero te amavi.’


S. Augustine


While awaiting the hummingbird, I took a double exposure of the rose. First focus on the rose, second focus on the background. The result to me made the rose look as if it had an aura of scent.

More the dream


 Monday comes and it so seems

How can we as Sunday so sing?

When all are in such states of despairing

Then along comes the Zebra long wing 

Life then turns less harsh

More the dream

Smile upon us


 Smile upon us


Smile upon us August moon

like you did that time in June

upon the wind wafted our tune

as beneath you we did swoon

In threes




 Three in a row

Today is Melanie’s biological father’s birthday, William Randolph “Skebow” Eatman. He died in a welding accident. Born in 1939, he would be 85.

Tomorrow Melanie’s grandma Pearl would have been 109, not out of the question since Helena Powers too is doing well at 108. 

Aug24,1915-Oct16,2002.

Then on the 25th is our estranged son Landon Randolph birthday. He was named for Skebo’s father, also William Randolph. Born in 1988, he is 36

Spare us


 Spare Us

Blind John Magoo 


spare us 

this new found hobby

of photography

You’ve lately taken up

running about the yard

snapping everything not

bolted down and that too

if it does not elude 

moving rapidly from being

a hobby to a full time

venture to then retiring

after a month long career

of being a top notch 

photographer of everything

in the yard perceived dear

but to others simply

drear

famous for the time

in the mind

accolades coming our way

as everyone simply is amazed

at the meteoric rise we made

from a yard hobby to the

cover of National Geographic

all in the month of August.

Friday, August 22, 2025

Fleeting


 Fleeting 

john clare


sit with me

in ninety-nine degree

humidity

atop a drain field

the view is grand

sans the yard debris

from years of accumulation

growing each year

less dear

as the memory fades

and the lure of youth

no longer bides me stay

and play torture

content for the time

given to steaming situations

to wait out the fritillary

intent upon being elusive

invading his comfort zone

sit with me

in ninety-nine degree

memory

mounds of my making

views of neighbors yards

their accumulation

equally as dear

to them as mine

one content simply to

sip the tall neck

giving up on the belly swelling

surrounded by his goats and

chickens

not understanding his neighbor

who sits atop his drain field

wondering if the sun has 

not gotten to him

listening to the other neighbor

yelling at his granny

and in the distraction

comes the fritillary

and he misses his shot.

Williston

Though we missed greatly again(three weeks) worshiping at the Church of God, nevertheless we were in and among you today, observing and commenting on remembering when, of who lived there, how we would have loved to afford Good Samaritan, of the old pharmacy vase, the egrets circling, a girl in red at a classmates grave, of needing to bring the weed eater and blower and on and on, of two who finally got an apartment, of one we loved so who once lived in them.

At the light we look in the vehicles and think we could know that person, and probably did, years ago. It was once that way along Noble avenue.













To be patient


 To the patient 


Yesterday we must have sat two hours waiting for the hummingbird to feed on the trumpet vine. One of the few times she came, I was focused on a chicken in the yard. It’s akin to waiting for an airplane to bisect the moon.

Difficult to stay focused.

What obscure thing?


 What obscure

Thing shall we share

Today with the misses?

Things the masses

Have no knowledge of:

We would tell of sweet 

Things, how we strained

The juice to boil it down

To its essence,

Bottling it up still hot,

But I think not.

It would only remind

Of some old time

Who gives a damn 

That once the cane

We did grind?

Willie Mae


 Scars away

Johnclarestokes 


The twentieth was your birthday

Willie Mae

You would of been a hundred and ten

Willie Mae

But you only got sixty-six

Sadly

You held the little scalded boy

Willie Mae

Pulled that cord on the stove

Willie Mae

Full of boiling water he did

Sadly

Wrapped him in that gauze 

Willie Mae

Made them scars never go away

Willie Mae

Made that little boy shy

Willie Mae

Doctor said he wouldn’t use that arm

Sadly

What did Doctor Head know?

Willie Mae

The little boy became an artist

They say

Used the scalded left

Willie Mae

Doc Head drowned in Lake Ellen

Sadly

Inner tube fishing

They say

The little boys now sixty seven

Willie Mae

One more year than you lived

Willie Mae

It seems just like yesterday 

Willie Mae

He thanks you for keeping him

Gladly

He thinks of Sopchoppy days

Willie Mae

And those scars just fade away

Willie Mae Porter


20Aug1915

17Sept1981

Thursday, August 21, 2025

Letter from a 2nd grader


 "Mr Roussey, it's your daughter Helen's hand I ask. You see, we sat beside one another all year long. We plan to live in Sopchoppy in the play house out back. John Lloyd is going to be our best man, and her sister Dawn the maid of honor. We plan on inviting our teacher Mrs Townsend. We learned so much from her in second grade. I've yet to break the news to Debbie McKenzie, maybe Daniel her brother  will break it to her gently. My daddy, the preacher at Sopchoppy and Crawfordville Methodist circuit we will ask to do the wedding ceremony. We hope Nena and Randy Anderson will sing. We have arranged for my Uncle Jimmy from Mississippi to pick Helen up in Panacea, drive her over to meet the family. He’s just of age to drive daddy’s DeSoto. I have an older sister Paula, she is best friends with Joan Sanders, Jackie Lawhorn and Henry McDonald. We have a dog named Bobo and my mom Clara teaches the fourth grade at Sopchoppy Elementary, so you see, I hope you agree with the plans we have made and by third grade we can marry in August when Jimmy and his brothers and sister comes for the summer. Sincerely, John Clare Stokes.