Tag Archives: childhood

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on June 18, 2022
Tags: , announcement, childhood, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,   

river deltas hymn

trees hold up the sky
youโ€™ve always known it was that way

by design

like candy rolled up into a tiny ball
sprinkled

with love, these shiny bits of

fall, brown and sandalwood colored delightfulness
befall us all

when we allow the love of childhood to enter the space
weโ€™ve hidden inside

the flowers stamen, tall
and magnificent

a fragrance from the heavens cascading down in time
with the beating of our hearts

even when thin, and dreary

the tides

escape
the banks of the river deltas hymn
with the love we share in common within

I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for all of the love, prayers, hugs, and support you sent to my family and I over the past few days. Things have settled, and I now am back on WP. I will spend the next few days catching up on your beautiful poems and posts. Sending love and blessings to all of you.

I was elated to learn yesterday that the Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women anthology is now a #1 best seller. How amazing! Congratulations to Gabriela, Ingrid, Nick, and all of the wonderfully talented authors! You can pick up a copy here.

As a reminder, there is a launch party this morning at 7 am PST, where some of the authors will be reading their poems from the anthology. That is one hour from now, and you can tune in via YouTube here. Alas, I will not be in attendance this morning, yet send my love and best wishes to Gabriela, Ingrid, Nick, and all of the authors for a splendid event.

Photo by 12019, Pixabay

#poetry, #announcement, #childhood, #connection, #healing, #heart, #hope, #humanity, #life, #love, #nature, #pain, #poem, #publication, #resilience, #the-poetry-of-strong-women, #wounds-i-healed

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 3:00 pm on October 16, 2021
Tags: , , childhood, donuts, , , , ,   

dusty, and delicious

dusty,
and delicious,
a fond remembrance

of times gone by,
a child of five,
eagerly awaiting,
pacing back and forth,
looking at the door, wanting moreโ€ฆ

creaks now sound,
pacing stops,
gliding towards the door, I go,
stop, and wait patiently, I see

in the mirror, me

smile brimming,
heart delighted,
rocking towards my heels,
glee from within, waiting on theeโ€ฆ

the door opens, oh,
the sound, as
light comes forth,
the wafting deliciousness
is smelled for miles aroundโ€ฆI

now bound up, and

over the table,
ready to dig in, selection
important, take only one,
towards me it comes,
biggest bites as possible
are just enoughโ€ฆ

โ€ฆuntil I succumb
to the last crumbโ€ฆ

In response to the WDYS#103 prompt from Keep it Alive, by Sadje.

Image credit; Jovan Vasiljeviฤ‡

#poetry, #anticipation, #childhood, #donuts, #life, #memories, #poem, #reflection, #wdys

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on August 22, 2021
Tags: , , childhood, , , , , , , wdys95   

one of our favorite pastimes

Image credit; Tumisu @ย Pixabay

letters loved,
and images
delivered

to the
forefront
of our
consciousness,
creating rhymes,
at times, sublime

stories, they
always do
shine

loved
as a child,
displayed
in the books

we
treasure
as a
clandestine

meeting
of minds

as, our
imaginations
conjure textures
of places
far and wide,
doing well
to abide
in one of our
favorite pastimes

In response to the WDYS #95 prompt from Keep it Alive, by Sadje.

#poetry, #books, #childhood, #life, #love, #memories, #poem, #reminiscence, #stories, #wdys95

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on January 18, 2021
Tags: , childhood, , , , , , , thunder   

Thunder

Photo by Tom Barrett on Unsplash

I often wonder,
what it is about
thunder

that causes
such a
mysterious

sensation,
from deep within.

There are times
when Iโ€™m smitten
with a grin,
as I

ponder and reflect
upon
my life as a child.

Thinking
about the thunder
that would rain down

when we least expected
it.

And then?

Running,
hiding, and trying to find
a place to not be affected

by it.

And, as I write that last
stanza, it occurs to me,
the โ€œitโ€
in compilation, is unseen

and hidden from view.

A mysterious, and, yes,
often ominous feeling,
even when the thunder
was not dealing itโ€™s clatter.

Hiding under bed,
waiting, worrying, and
unofficially praying for a stead-
fast reprieve

form the hidden noise.

And, oh, what a joy!

When finally released
from the deluge
of noise,

which overwhelmed
my every sense
until, finally,
yes

poise,

did return.

And, I could crawl
out
from underneath,

and, once again,
breathe in
the

salty air
from the rain,
which did just fall.

Oh, thunder, you
are oft criticized, and
yet, are a part of
Nature, so I

do surmise,

you are elegant
in your ways.

And, I do always
pray, for a return
of the rain.

So if you must
also return,
very well,

I will prepare
as needed,
and,

see you thunder,
on the other
side of
the

season.

#poetry, #childhood, #life, #love, #nature, #poem, #poems, #seasons, #thunder

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 11:57 am on December 28, 2020
Tags: , carefree, childhood, foreveryoung, , , play, , ,   

Play

Photo by Chester Ho on Unsplash

Times
At play, gone by
Without a whisper

Of an oft remembered
Whimper,

As we long
For the days
Of play
When we were

Carefree and
At once

Unafraid

Of all
That surrounded
Us

In touch with
Our true selves
Without
The baggage

That comes with age

Yet,
We can remove
Whatโ€™s in our parcel
And let go

Of those unneeded

Scruples, and mis
Understandings
Made along the way, and

Create a day
Where we are light,
With delight,
And

Able to revel
In the play
Of life
With

Fancy,

Just like when
We were little

Running,
And jumping,
Not a care in the world

For we didnโ€™t know
About cares

Why would
We dare?

When you are young
You are focused
On creating
Beauty

With every finger
Touched

By Presence

And, guess what?

You can play
That way
Today

Even with
The age, which

Is upon
Our collective face

For inside,
You are still
Young, my friend

So take the day
And play
Away

#poetry, #carefree, #childhood, #foreveryoung, #life, #love, #play, #poem, #poems, #presence

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 1:00 pm on December 24, 2020
Tags: , childhood, freindship, , , , , swing, swinging   

Swing

Photo by Lital Levy on Unsplash

Swing
Back and forth,
And back again
Just like an old friend

Though I donโ€™t partake
Today, my memories are
Filled with blissful days
Made in your tender embrace

When times were tough,
Or a wonder,
There was always
A reason to seek your shelter

Carefree, swinging
In the wind
Worries and fears
Absolutely disappear

Without a trace of
Their presence,
Only ever the wind
Guiding me back

Up again, higher and
Higher, a beauty is calling
Me back in repose, yet
I catch more speed

And, off to the other side
I do go

Racing up towards
The heavens, itโ€™s as if
The sky was pulled down
Just for me, as I sit on your

Lap and feel such glee

Now back towards the
Middle, where it started
When we were kiddos,
And, just then, we get a push

From a friend
Thatโ€™s not done watching,

And, ditto, for my friend, as
Their now joining in, and

Now we swing together,
Just the three of us, racing
Back and forth, again

And, again, thereโ€™s no time
So, letโ€™s begin again

Time has no pulse
In this endeavor,
For itโ€™s all about impulse

As we live our life
With not a care in the world
Only the three of us now,
You, I, and the swing

We now share

#poetry, #childhood, #freindship, #life, #love, #poem, #poems, #swing, #swinging

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 4:23 pm on June 7, 2020
Tags: barbeque, bbq, childhood, cookouts, ice cream truck sound, sounds of summer, , summer time, summertime   

The Sound of Series #3: The Sounds of Summer

Photo byย Brady Cookย onย Unsplash

Remember being a child during summer time. Gosh, I love the summer. I grew up in Southern California, and, though the weather in Los Angeles is pretty good all the time, it is extra special in the summer. Long sunny days, breezy afternoons, where everything was sort of a-glow all the time. Mm. Wonderful.

There are also certain sounds that remind me of summerโ€™s in LA. Though, you may not have grown up in LA, chances are some of these sounds might also be familiar to you.

The Sound of the โ€œIce Cream Manโ€

If there was one sound of summer that I adored as a child more than others, it was that of the ice cream truck. Gosh. I remember being outside playing with my sisters, or with other neighborhood children, when we would hear that most familiar sound coming from a street or two over.

We would stop everything we were doing, and stand very still to ensure what we heard was true. And, as soon as we were sure that the ice cream truck was coming our way, we would run as fast as we could to the house to get money from our parents.

Once we had the money, we would race back outside, and wait. And, as soon as that wonderful truck started to make its way down our street, we would run after it, hollering and waving our hands so it would stop. So much fun.

In case youโ€™ve forgotten that wonderful sound, here it is.

The Sound of Fireworks

Another sound of summer I adored as a child was that of fireworks on the fourth of July. We would always go to my aunts house, where all of my cousins and I would play away the afternoon, as we eagerly awaited the evening firework festivities. The crack, boom, and bang of the fireworks was enticing, and very exciting.

We always had quite the firework show. All of my dadโ€™s brothers and sisters would take up a collection, and head down to the fireworks stand to purchase several bags of fireworks. We always had a ton.

Typically, we would start out by lighting some of the smaller ones, leading up to, after at least a good hour or so, the โ€œgrand finale.โ€ The grand finale included using most of the larger fireworks, and lighting many of them at the same time. Quite the show. I love the sound, sight, and smell of fireworks. Excellent.

Photo byย Tim Zรคnkertย onย Unsplash

The Sound of the Water Hose

Though we went to the beach often when I was a child, during the summer my sisters and I would also play with the water hose. We had a myriad of different attachments for the hose, some sprayed water up and down, and some all over. Often, we would simply just attach the sprinkler to the hose and use that. Running back and forth across the lawn, jumping over the sprinkler, time and again.

We also had at least two or three different slip and slides growing up. Fun, and sometimes dangerous, if your not being careful. I remember running so fast, and jumping as hard as I could, to the point that I would slide off the slip and slide into the grass. Covered in grass, called for more trips on the slide, and rinsing off with the hose.

Ah, the sound of the water spraying out of the water hose was a reminder that summer was here, school was out, and it was time to play, and just be.

Photo byย Ali Yahyaย onย Unsplash

The Sound of Cookouts and BBQโ€™s

Another sound I love of the summer is that of family cookouts, especially BBQโ€™s. Now, any barbeque grill is fine, yet the good old fashioned charcoal grill is what Iโ€™m referring to in this post. I love the way charcoal heats, coals going from black, to glowing embers, turing red, and eventually white. Love that.

I also loved the food that went with those BBQโ€™d meals, which included watermelon, corn on the cob, potato salad, beans, and usually burgers and hot dogs. The sounds of family preparing food, cooking food, and ultimately eating all of that food, while conversing about this and that. Cookouts and BBQโ€™s, truly summer.

Photo byย Kirsty TGย onย Unsplash

The sounds of summer bring back all kinds of memories. Memories of a simple time, where playing, creativity, and all of the worlds possibilities were available. From ice cream trucks to family cookouts and BBQโ€™s, the sounds of summer remind me of being a young child, and the openness that comes from a summer full of possibilities, and delightful sounds.

#barbeque, #bbq, #childhood, #cookouts, #ice-cream-truck-sound, #sounds-of-summer, #summer, #summer-time, #summertime