Summertime Blessings...

A blessing of this stay-at-home summer has been hours spent at New Jersey lake and seaside beaches and at the Totowa Pool until it was flooded in the August 11 torrential rainstorm and closed early. Another blessing has been sitting by my spectacular sunflower garden. Last summer I only had a few sunflowers, but the Monarch butterflies flocked to them. This summer the bees have been plentiful, but I've only seen one Monarch. That reminds me of one of my earliest poems, which I'll share with you now...

Photo credit: wired.com

There Used To Be Butterflies in New Jersey

I remember the day the monarchs held court on Cupsaw Beach

And filled the air with tangerine profusion

As they soared and danced with natural choreography.

There used to be butterflies in New Jersey.

They haven’t left completely,

But I see fewer every year

And miss their lilting frivolity, color, and grace.

Today, I strolled a lane in South Carolina,

And was gifted with more species than I know,

The sum greater than I’ve seen in years.

Praise God, they simply filled my heart with joy

As they danced with gay abandon among the wildflowers.

They flitted against the sky with petal-soft wings

As resplendent in hew as the blooms

They landed momentarily upon, then sprang

Into fanciful Fantasia pirouettes.

Maude Carolan

Maude in her garden

Sunflower Joy!

I've been sitting in my beautiful sunflower garden, delightfully writing new sunflower poems...but for now, I've gone into my files and selected an old favorite to share with you.

Maude's selfie.
Photo was taken in her sunflower garden

SUNFLOWERS

Lafayette, New Jersey, September 1, 2001

God’s abundance wows me

from a sprawling field of sunflowers

which tower above

on thick woody stalks

They lift great ochre heads

framed in ragged haloes

of yellow gold

to shine sunrays upon me

like God’s own radiant face

amid a communion of saints

and I must smile back

Their leaves

are big green hearts

In their midst

my own heart

grows and greens

How God loves me!

He astonishes His child

with wondrous whimsies

Soon, when the season ends

they’ll just nod their weary heads

and shed their golden haloes

on the ground

and bequeath their gift of seed

to ravens of the air

which will feast festively

upon God’s abundance

unto them

Maude Carolan

Maude's sunflower garden

Sunnier Every Day...

Sunflower Row...

My Sunflower Row gets sunnier every day!


Three Poems:

HAIKU

Lion of Judah

God’s Face in a sunflower

His mane is ablaze

Maude Carolan Pych

HAIKU IV 

God shines joy! Big! Bold!

Earth umber haloed in gold.

Sunflower. Full bloom.

Maude Carolan

 

A beauty from my garden.

BRINGING HOME THE SUN

Lafayette, New Jersey, September 1, 2001 

We took a late summer drive to Lafayette,

to see if sunflowers were shining yet.

We cruised through the countryside, lush and green

to a great golden field on Route Fifteen.

It was a most glorious sight to see,

for my hubby, Cousin Marie and me.

Leo stayed comfortably in the car;

Marie and I walked to the field, not far,

with sharpened clippers already in hand,

we sought the best sunflowers in the land;

but we did not seek, for Heaven’s sake,

giant bumble bees and slithery snakes

which certainly lurked in the open field.

We just aimed to cut an abundant yield

of glorious flowers with petals gold

oblivious of the perilous toll!

I was dressed for outdoors in summer heat;

suntanned arms, strappy sandals on my feet;

but I couldn’t turn back, I’m not that sort

and Marie was with me, a brave good sport!

Marie stood near in the wild grasses

and helped select from among the masses

of gigantic beauties, stately and high

while watching the earth and watching the sky

for creatures squirming and creatures flying.

I cut, quivering…there’s no denying.

If a creature had brushed against my flesh

I would have suffered cardiac arrest!

No snake bites! No bee stings! We filled the car

with bright flowering suns, quite without par!

At home I arranged them in pretty pots;

photographed and enjoyed them…lots and lots!

But, next year I shall be much more astute…

bug repellant, long sleeves, my highest boots!

Maude Carolan

The above poem was written days before the tragic event that changed all of our lives on 9/11/01. Leo F. Carolan and Cousin Marie Gioia have both gone home to be with Our Lord. This poem is in loving memory of both of them.

The First Sunflower of Summer

THE FIRST SUNFLOWER of summer

has burst into bloom in my garden.

I've planted a whole row of them.

In a few days my backyard

will be GLORIOUS!

Photo credit: thespruce.com

SUNFLOWERS MAKE ME SMILE

Sunflowers make me smile—

because they’re absolutely outrageous!

They’re taller than a beanstalk

and way, way larger than a flower should be

They easily pass me in height

and keep right on growing

Each stately stalk and its sturdy leaves

go up, up, up like a ladder to Heaven

and when that flower bursts into bloom

it lights up my whole backyard

like the sun’s come down for a visit

All the shaggy petals are golden sunrays

shining upon me, while

the bees buzz with delight

sucking in nectar

I think God made sunflowers

to cause us to look up and take notice

of His handiwork and His generosity

His Love, too! The bigness of it!

His magnificent magnanimousness!

Oh! It’s certainly no wonder—

Whenever I see sunflowers

they always, always, always make me smile J

Maude Carolan Pych