Thursday, August 1, 2019

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


No comments :

Post a Comment