A Hope -- a Poem for Friday Writings

    

      "Cupid's Arrow" Artwork by Jimmiehov 2021, 

 Copyright 2021, URL - I've carried this in my Bible for 

 ages but 2021 is the first time I've found it published

    Sweethearts 

Have you ever been asked 

what's your favorite word 

My house you'd have to 

ask, the little lady knows 

Does he use now and then 

or is it regular 

Little lady is the 

apple of my soft heart 

She can do no harm 

to this old hardboiled egg 

So the lady responds 

for me, knows my innards 

 

I'm hoping she will say 

it's "Sweetheart" with a smile 

 _ _ _ 

 - Poem Copyright, Jimmiehov 2024, All Rights Reserved 

 - Photo Copyright, Jimmiehov 2021, URL

 - I am linked with Rosemary for Friday Writing #126 at  

   https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/

where she has asked 

"us to write about to write a poem or story (or a few) in only 160 characters including title and spaces. (If you choose to write more than one, please put them all in one post and make sure that collectively they don't exceed our 369 word limit.) (or use) one of our favorite words."  Mine, for this 'us' is "Sweetheart".

 - Note" This is the number 2003 of 'poems' labeled or called as such I've posted here since the first, in 2006.  Some I forgot to label.  

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a Poem for NaPoWri Day three

   The New Lawyer

"New lawyer" left his job 

Twas Senior Aerospace 

Engineer at NASA 

Got a Professor job 

Teaching college students 

Business Law One and Two 

He would be Doctor now

Doctor Jim his title 

_ _ _ 

 - Poem Copyright, Jimmiehov 2024, All Rights Reserved 

 - I am linked with NaPoWriMo Day Three, 

    https://www.napowrimo.net/day-three-10/

 - Inspiration from a Frank K prose piece, "The New Lawyer", 

    https://read.aimeepong.com/parables/0/ 

 - This is me, Doctor Jim Retired.    Being retired from the teaching job I can keep that title. Regular attorneys have the Juris Doctorate but can't use the Doctor title.

    I also taught a Small Business Management course and sometimes an Introduction to Business class. 

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A Tribute -- a Poem for Friday Writings

Photo was AI generated by Bing's "AI Photo Generator" URL 
[Published and Copyright here by Jimmiehove 2024] 
[click on picture to enlarge]

      Tribute to a Good Friend 

Sadie was a good friend of mine 

So was her husband, better friend 

They were parents three children 

Married young, she grew tired of him 

Next single, her new friends were wild 

Still she was my friend, friends with both 

Sadie moved to Austin, afar 

I lost touch, ex kept me posted 

Her newfound friends on the wild side 

Sadie began drinking with them 

Eating way too much with her drink 

She had a heart attack and died 

A different kind of funeral 

The gang met at swimming hole 

There they raised their beer cans to her 

Ashes to the pond, cans followed 

Still think lots of her and her ex 

A loss of a friend who went wrong 

 _ _ _ 

 - Tribute Poem Copyright, Jimmiehov 2024, All Rights Reserved 

 - I am linked with Rommy at Friday Writings #119 here, 

  https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/?m=1 

 - Rommy has asked us to 'find inspiration “In memoriam”: write about a person, place, or thing that is gone.'  Mine is true, the lady's name here I have changed to honor the deceased but not identified by name.  Some of my readers may have known her also. 

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Army then -- a Poem for Quadrille #197

armycadets.com from Amazon gun ad

  War stories 

Getting old now

loves telling tales

Army stories

are his forte

No war for him

guns on the rack

Not shooting range

Score penciled in

Sharpshooter him

Medal to prove

Wore alongside

Good Conduct pin

Did Radar man

once shoot that gun

Basic Training

_ _ _

 - Poem Copyright, Jimmiehov 2024, All Rights Reserved 

 - I am linked with De Jackson at dVerse Quadrille #197 for hosting, 

https://dversepoets.com/2024/03/18/quadrille-197-look-sharp-now-lets-write-a-poem/ 

    she asked us to Write a Quadrille poem, 44 words in length and to use her chosen prompt word, "sharp" 

    Click here to read some others work, same instructions 

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Snowmoon Write -- for Haibun Monday

©iStockphoto.com/Wouter van Caspel

 

Snowmoon Last Night 

    Driving home last night we pulled over to view.  Just above the horizon was a magnificent scene, the moon, a February Full moon in bloom.  It was  showing its features as white with an orange tinted background.  It's name, being in February is the Snowmoon, heralding in falling snow, the kind the kids' snowmen are made of.  

    But being in Southeast Texas, close to the Gulf of Mexico shore, we won't be having snow this year.  The chances are gone for that come midmonth February.  Our temperatures are now in the 70, 80, and a few 90Fs from here on out.  Yes, we may have a cold wave come in from the north but still no snow for us.  That comes about once every ten years. 

    And anyway, we enjoy seeing this moon in full with no snow, it is sooo very pretty.  Maybe next year. 

_ _ _ 

Snowmoon, Snowmoon, where 

Where can we see snow you'd bring 

Old home, Nebraska? 

Our back yard a few years ago 
[click picture for larger view, it's really pretty]

_ _ _ 

 - Bottom Photo and Haibun Write, Copyright Jimmiehov 2021 (URL) and 2024, All Rights Reserved 

 - I am linked with Frank J Tassone for dVerse Haibun Monday at 

    https://dversepoets.com/2024/02/26/haibun-monday-2-26-24-snow-moon/ 

 - Click here to read other writers' writing for the prompt, "SnowMoon"

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Imagine - a Poem for dVerse Quadrille

        Imagine

When I was a little boy

I could not imagine things

Other children could do that

Had imaginary friends 

My little sister did well

Age of two she had a friend

His name was “Two Year Old Kid”

At three his name didn't change 

                 _ _ _ 

 -  Photo and Poem Copyright, Jimmiehove 2010 (URL) and 2024
 - I am linked with Lisa at dVerse Quadrille #194, at             https://dversepoets.com/2024/02/05/come-play-with-me/
 for the prompt word, "imagine".  Here at dVerse our Quadrille form has only 44 words not counting the title, if any
 - Click here to read what other folk have written using this prompt word 

May your dark clouds have silver linings!
(my, Jimmiehov, photo)

                 Bad News and Hindsight 

    I had dropped out of college way back in years passed.  

 

   A job in the Elgin Watch Factory seemed waiting for me.  I then bought a car, another story there.  When I did all this the draft had slowed as plenty were volunteering.  Sigh of relief, although that didn't last.  I got my draft notice three years later.  Bad news for me.  

    Into the Army I went, and my last eight months training was the clerk typist school teaching.  When time for my discharge there was a major depression and the Watch factory had closed.  So I enlisted for three more years, to attend the first 43 weeks in an Air Defense NIKE Fire Control Systems Maintenance school.  There I learned Electronics, Radar, and Computers. 

    Time for discharge, I left as the Viet Namm war had just started and I wanted out of the service.  It was easy for me to get a job teaching in the army school but our company lost their contract after two months.  I was transferred to New Hampshire with the company as a Field Aerospace Engineer with my Army class, third of forty-some students and my experience of the last of three years in Army.  

    This project was to make an already installed Air Force Satellite installation work, teach the Airmen how to operate and maintain it.  After another three years I had worked myself out of a job there and was transferred to NASA'S Houston Johnson Space Center as an Aerospace Engineer. 

    I hummed along with the open doors and kept my peace.  But then Voila, the local colleges had day and night classes, so I enrolled.  My education ended after ten years, mostly financed using my GI Bill benefit, with the receiving three degrees.  

    That qualified me to teach at the community college which I was offered a job, I taught for 22 years there before retiring.  My doctorate degree put me with PhD instructors, pay and the title of Professor. 

   My unwanted stint in the Army had paid off, that was the silver lining in the dark cloud. Hindsight said my taking of the open doors had paid off.

_ _ _

 - Prose Writing here is Copyright, Jimmiehov 2024, All Rights Reserved

 - I am linked with Magaly who is hosting and brought the fun but revealing Friday Writings #112 at

    https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/

 - Magaly has invited us to write poetry or prose that includes a silver lining, or an advantage that comes from a difficult or unpleasant situation.  Our word for Friday Writings count is limited to 369 words not counting the title, I have 358 words.

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Learning outside the school building -- a Poem for Friday Writings

[please click on the picture to make it a bit larger -- I am the boy in back]

Rommy has invited us to write about an obscure bit of knowledge that fascinates us. 

 _ _ _  

The Storm; Rain, Hail, and Tornado

A scary day that ended in 

this little boy not scared at all 

He wasn't scared of the mean storm 

The rain, the hail, a tornado 

Appeared in school uninvited

Came knocking at our only door 

One room one door OSHA would care 

A student's dad and he did care 

The other kid in my grade's dad 

Came to get we kids to the cave 

Storm cave, one that gives memories 

of things our teacher might not like

He quickly informed the teacher

Her first inkling of this danger

The two of them ushered the kids

We quickly went, a scary trip

The dad was letting us all look

We'd stand up the stairs in the door

He would show us the cone move

Across the landscape mile away

It passed and we played with the hail

Baseball size across our green lawn

One I chose had a dark blemish

It seemed to be a piece of junk

Looking closer I found treasure

Kids treasure, a gear from a clock

How it got there we all wondered

Been fascinated by that still

- - -

185 words not counting the title 

 - Photo and Poem Copyright, Jimmiehov 2010 (URL) and 2024 Respectively, All Rights Reserved 

 - I am linked with Rommy at the Friday Writings #110, https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/ 

 - Rommy has invited us to write about an obscure bit of knowledge that fascinates us. I knew nothing about the power and cunningness of a Hailstorm until this episode of my life.  Now I have a real-time example to tell.  

 - Note: In the picture above, I was the boy in the rear. My cousin, John, on the right front was the other boy. My sister, Lois, was on the front left and another cousin, Ione, was to her right. Lois was probably in the second grade as she started school when she was four. That would put me in the sixth grade.  During my grade school there were generally four cousins.  

 - Click on the picture to make a larger view.

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My Garden - How does it grow? - a Prosery Write for dVerse

 

[Click on pictures for larger view -- Back button to return 

The older we're getting the more lists we should make 
Top of the List of Lists would be our grocery list 
The older we're getting the more we will forget 
The lists tend to remind carry them where you go 

Don't Quit 

People growing older and older 

Then items disappear from our list 

We even name that list, "Bucket List"

It means that when we kick the bucket 

Those things we want to have accomplished 

List shows those and things I'd like to be doing 

Today is Mourning Day for 9/11 disaster 

  

- - - > My piece of Prose for dVerse today: 

Bucket list garden 

My bucket list is mostly fun things to do. Things I've not done*, that can't be done, or that I'd like to do. So here goes. They all are growing, wilting, or dead for you, to be pretty for you I have dropped two seeds of turnsole in the dark of both eyes.** 

a.Strawberries, hardest on my Bucket List is to touch the South Pole* 

b.Onions, dead, was to replace my pet that died 

c.Beans, don't smoke anymore, I've quit, been 48 years
d.Carrots, drinking alcohol no more, maybe a glass of wine socially 

e.Spinach, stopped teaching Sunday Bible School  

f.Sold my motorcycles 

g.Asparagus, driving less at night, especially on major highways in town 

h.Cucumbers, driving not so fast, for sure not over 100 mph for very long, hardly over eighty's my top now 

i.Corn   

Made yours? You may be better than you think.

 _ _ _ 

 - Writing and Photos Copyright, Jimmiehov 2023, All Rights Reserved 

 - ** I am linked with Sanaa Rizvi at dVerse Prosery, 

    https://dversepoets.com/2023/09/11/prosery-through-the-eyes-of-isabel-duarte-gray/ for her prompt line, "from the Poem Garden" and is written using 144 words not counting the title 

 - Click here to read other writer's prose writing efforts 

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Theft Story -- a Poem for Friday Writings and dVerse Quadrille

  Three Silver Dollars

I wish that I could have

My silver dollars back

Never guess where they are

You don't know, I don't know

Wasn't there when they came

Small bath window, slivers 

TV, stereo, junk

Violated my soul

Miss my silver dollars

Surprisingly the most 

Excruciatingly 

Note:  This true, I blame a couple who were selling door to door the night before.  And the first thing that comes to mind when I think of the burglary is my Silver Dollars.  Three I remember, two from Mom's coin stash, i.e., collection, and one given to me--I was an early teen then--by my Uncle Don who had just been to Reno for his first time.

   _ _ _ 

  - Poem Copyright, Jimmiehov 2023, All Rights Reserved 

  - I am linked with Rommy at Friday Writings #93 at   

    Poets and Storytellers United: Friday Writings #93: Scent of a Poem

  - I have opted to not follow Rommy's fine prompt, of inserting "a sense of "smell" somewhere in the poem.  I could, say, "smell of rats"when visiters came to my door.  BUT this would be hard and still end up with exactly 44 words as the form requires.  

  - I am also linked with kim881 for dVerse Quadrille #183 at 

    https://dversepoets.com/2023/09/04/quadrille-183-a-sliver-of-a-poem/  

 - Click here to read other's writings for Kim's prompt word, "Sliver"

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Simple Life - a Poem for Friday Writings

   Glimmers 

Microwaves and Keurig 

Dishwashers and wash 

machines and the likes 

Glimmers in my life 

Quick and easy is 

the way of my life 

Quick and easy fits 

From hot chocolate, 

square eggs to fit bread, 

stuffed peppers a snap 

Little things, glimmers,

make my life simple 

Note: 

• "Glimmers are small moments that spark joy or peace, which can help cue our nervous system to feel safe or calm.
• Experts say this mindset shift can make a positive impact on our mental health."
• USA Today

 _ _ _ 

 - Photos and Poem Copyright, Jimmiehov 2023, All Rights Reserved 

 - I am linked with Rommy for the prompt at Friday Writings # 86 ,   

   https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/

 - Rommy has asked us "to write about our “glimmers”. A glimmer is the opposite of a trigger--some small thing that fills us with happiness/delight and can turn a mood around."

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Burned Breakfast -- a Poem for Friday Writings

"Don't cry over burnt toast" 

'twas a weekday morning 

had nothing special planned 

Coffee and snack time 

10:30 AM 

The Mrs. had a Kolache 

split in two 

one piece for her 

another for me 

She had eaten hers 

with her cup of coffee 

I put mine in the micro 

set for "Reheat" 

forgot the Kolache 

tending my coffee 

suddenly I smelled smoke 

something was burning 

Oops, forgot my food 

normally a warm touch 

and I will take it out 

O dear what will I do 

I am a bit hungry 

lunch would be around three 

when we get home after the 

doctor's special visit 

Open the fridge 

not much there 

assortment of leftovers 

greeted my eyes 

Make do, make do 

leftovers better than none 

let's see what we can do 

Who's the "we" brother Jim? 

We shall find how well they blend 

     Click on the picture for a larger size view

Cottage cheese, low fat 

"Cajun style Crab Dip" 

very hot to the taste 

And a whole gob of brown beans 

"Bush's Best, Original" 

Got them on sale, 99 cents 

With a fresh pack of 

crisp graham crackers 

That was quite a haul 

beans made the difference 

Top it off, quite full now 

with three soft dark prunes 

Those finished it off 

for a guy who could not 

wear his upper appliance 

today, dentist's order 

Mouth should heal a bit

    _ _ _ 

 - Photos and Poem Copyright, Jimmiehove 2023, all rights reserved 

 - I am linked with Rosemary for an inspiring prompt phrase at the Friday Writings #84 ,  

   https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/

  - Rosemary has asked "us to be inspired by the phrase "Broken glass crunching under the boot steps"."

 - We were to limit our writing to 360 words, mine has 216 without the title covered

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