Tag: Poem

Marriage is Opportunity Disguised

Strife, envy, feelings of injustice misplaced
define the lives of many.
If only they thought
of how good life could be
they’d see the opportunity lost.

The bed is unmade,
the meal is uncooked,
a blanket lies untouched on the couch.
For the person who cares,
these are opportunities discovered.

A bed is prepared,
the mint lies on the pillow in anticipation,
of the person who discovers it there.
No word is said,
nor credit taken,
for the opportunity realized.

Wordless glances of thanks,
the eye’s glint of a compliment,
a smile warmly given.
The thoughts of lovers who know,
the path to growth,
is through the opportunity relished.

A note on the door,
the hug breathlessly exchanged,
words subtly laced with meaning.
Only those in a marriage,
where caring is foremost,
understand the opportunity accepted.

Copyright 2011, John Paul Mueller

Shards of Glass

Oh how sweet,
What a treat!
Shards of shining glass.

Nice and shiny,
Grains so tiny.
Shards of sparkling glass.

Oh so thirsty,
Feel so hungry.
Shards of wayward glass.

Destroys your health,
Consumes your wealth.
Shards of broken glass.

Sores appearing,
Disease nearing.
Shards of toxic glass.

Eyesight failing,
Time of wailing.
Shards of dark’ning glass.

Time’s a flying,
Soon you’re dying.
Shards of deadly glass.

Inspired by Barbara McPherson.
Dedicated to all who suffer from diabetes.
Copyright 2011 John Paul Mueller

True Peace

Peace, lend a hand.
Peace isn't the absence of war,
It isn't the result of war.
Peace begins within,
but it ends without.

Peace, lend a hand.
You cannot win peace alone,
everyone labor and groan.
Envy, greed, and lust,
these make peace a bust.

Peace, lend a hand.
All your neighbors you must see,
as your friends with spirits free.
Your lives intertwined,
spirit, body, mind.

Peace, lend a hand.
All peace with faith must begin,
a peace within is too thin.
Look around to see,
what your life could be.

Copyright John Paul Mueller, 2011

Perfect Love

Perfect love casts out my fear.
Keep your perfect love so near
that I never fear again.
Perfect love for you attain,
‘til my heart with love is filled
and my spirit never chilled.

All around the world I see,
how a perfect love could be,
an answer for mankind’s woes,
when hatred and evil flows,
fueled by fires of doubt and fear,
no one lets the other near.

Open eyes to perfect love,
gift of wonder from above.
A love that gives, never takes,
love that grants others mistakes,
that counts no loss and no gain,
that makes our hearts young again.

Copyright 2012, John Paul Mueller

Firefly Light

Firefly in the night,
growing dim, shining bright.

Sending messages, in insect code,
come and stay at my abode.

Flying here, flying there,
making art upon the air.

A beam of light, within the dark,
an ember glowing, like a spark.

Hypnotic visions, all aglow,
help me see your jagged flow.

Flights of fancy, are what I see,
as you continue, endlessly.

Until the dawn, grants you rest,
your endless dance, shows your quest.

Copyright 2016, John Paul Mueller

The Owl Said Who

In the middle of the night,
when animals play and fight,
the darkness reigned supreme,
and I heard an owl scream,
Who!

The owl didn’t give a hoot,
or like a crow let out a whoot,
it wasn’t the screech owl’s scream,
but simply, as in a dream,
who.

With the rising of a fog,
I heard the croaking of a frog,
reverberate throughout the wood,
and then the owl, because he could,
said whooo.

As the moon reduced the pall,
It’s glare created shadows tall,
I looked upon the ground below,
for the subject of the low,
when the owl said who?

There he sat upon the limb,
with eyes aglow and visage grim,
his feathers puffed as if to fly,
upon some prey from perch on high,
but all he said was who.

I left him to his thoughts so deep,
of prey afoot that would not keep,
and went to lie upon my bed,
to let sweet dreams fill my head,
and all he said was who!

Copyright 2016, John Paul Mueller

It’s All About Choice

Whether to come or go,
Or to ignore the flow,
It’s all about choice.

Whether to love or hate,
Or to neglect others’ fate,
It’s all about choice.

Whether to produce or loaf,
Or to work as an oaf,
It’s all about choice.

Whether to succeed or fail,
Or to determine to rail,
It’s all about choice.

Whether to think or react,
Or to simply accept fact,
It’s all about choice.

The choices you make,
Affect the path you take,
Through life’s long journey hard.

But you have the voice,
In defining your choice,
And determining which path to regard.

Copyright 2014, John Paul Mueller

 

Warm Apple Cake

 

When I came home tonight, there was a warm apple cake
Home made, with mixed nuts, that my lover just baked.
How did he know that I would need such a treat
To finish the day with such comfort and sweet?

He had gone off to bed but had left me a note
With a sweet little message that he personally wrote.
As I toddle my way to my own warm repose
Such sweet dreams will I enjoy that no one else knows.

The sweetness of mind comes from knowing for sure
That the man that I married has the ultimate cure
For the trials and frustrations that are part of the day
When he shows me he loves me in this special small way.

So I came home tonight to a warm apple cake.
I will sleep in such peace from the love that I take
Up to bed with me now. I will plan while I lie.
Cause I know that his favorite dessert is fresh PIE!

Copyright 2014, Pegg Conderman

 
Warm Apples Cake 001

 The original recipe was found in a St. Mary’s Catholic Church cookbook from Muscatine, IA printed in 1988. 

My husband adapted it and I am sharing his version below (as he remembers it).

Fresh Apple Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar and 1 cup butter or margarine. (Cream together)
2 eggs

In a separate bowl, blend or sift together:

2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon of ginger
1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon of allspice

Set aside and cool 1 cup of coffee

Dice 4 cups of fresh apples into small chunks and set aside with a little lemon juice on them. 

Topping:

1/2 cup of any kind of nuts mixed with 3 Tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of each spice used in the batter.

Instructions: 

Beat the sugar and butter until they are very creamy. Add eggs and blend well. 

Alternately add the cold coffee and the dry ingredients to the bowl, mixing them between additions. Be careful not to overbeat the batter, because this cake batter will be naturally lumpy. 

Drain moisture from the apples. Fold them into the batter. Pour into  13×9 cake pan that has been coated with grease (or Pam) and flour. 

Bake at 350 F for 50 to 60 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center  of the cake until it comes out clean.

This recipe is best served to a loved one while it is still warm with a little ice cream or whipped cream. And it is also great cold for breakfast, like Pizza!

 

 

 

 

 

Silent Conversation

He spoke not a word,
had nothing to say,
as we went out to work each day.

Yet he said it all,
revealed to me his mind,
that he was wise and humble and kind.

He spoke to me in riddles,
in sunsets and storms,
in billowing winds and still other forms.

We conversed in new born kittens,
using fresh mown hay,
and watching the birds so hard in their play.

The delight of a raindrop,
the rush of the wave,
filling a creek bed that snow melt gave.

In smelling the air,
odors both subtle and gross,
the churnings of nature that he loved the most.

And when the day was over,
he told me good night,
the only words spoken, made the day just right.

Copyright 2014, John Paul Mueller