JUANITA GARCIA VERA

JUANITA

GARCIA VERA

THE THINGS I LEARNED

 FROM A CACTUS

I  don’t  know ,  if I obeyed Papa’s rules

And work ethic out of fear

Or respect

All I know is that

While mom was a beautiful Rose

Papa was more of a stately Cactus

Orphaned of father  by age three

Losing his mother at age ten

He talked about the old days

But, not the good old days

Days of living

Day to day

Living a meager existence

Ignored by society

As is   the life of many an orphan

It was known and

Expressed   often that

If   you ate like an orphan,

You ate too much

Even if it was only one tablespoon

I compare my life to his life

And wonder if I could have survived

The things he went through

I don’t pretend to know

All the specifics of his life

But like the cactus

He survived to flourish

Blessed with

Many children

Some his,  and many others

We towed the line

Of his raising

Tough at times

Not sparing the rod

His tenderness

Carefully guarded

Showed once in a Blue Moon

Poor but proud

He used to say

Never crawl   for any one

Respect yourself,

Respect your elders and others

Never lie, never steal

And when dealing

A handshake is a promise

Not taken lightly or broken

Friends can be counted on one hand

And among those

You will have   but, one true life-long friend

Never stay angry at anyone

A moment in grievance is an eternity of sorrow

Life is short, be grateful in all things

Don’t let the Sun catch you sleeping,

The day away

Time once gone can’t be recuperated

All I’ve learned

All I’ve taught my children

Are lesson I learned from a Cactus

That once bloomed

In the most desolate of deserts

Dedicated to all the Single Fathers and all fathers in the World, the unspoken heroes !

© Juanita Garcia Vera

All Rights Reserved JGV 2019

FOOT PRINTS IN THE SNOW

I wish to see the wondrous view

The twinkling stars above

I’d wish upon the brightest one

That lights the evening sky

I wish the snow

Would stop it’s fall

Like Death, it’s sterile touch

It’s cold and numbing fingers

Reach deep into the heart

I search for prints in snow

and every place, I go

No matter far the distance,

No matter dark the road

I’d follow them to Heaven

To find you waiting there

No matter hard the moments

I live along the road

© Juanita Garcia Vera

All Rights Reserved  JGV 2019

CREPE MYRTLES

Last night the thunder rattled

And lightning lit the sky

While Angels quietly flying

Above the thunderous height

Today, I woke to showers

With Lilac blooms in flight

The largest clusters shinning

In rays of morning light

The smaller flowers are lying

In path around my feet

The sight of them, reminding

That once the wings of Angels

Came down to Earth to play

And left the scent of Lilac

On bed of Lilac hue

Their scent and color filling

My heart with thoughts of you

© Juanita Garcia Vera

All Rights Reserved ….JGV 2019

JUANITA GARCIA VERA