A.K.A. Ted White
Category: Poetry and other deep thoughts
water droplets on a leaf
The bugs get to the water first.
Our rivers and streams are polluted
and now the world is dying of thirst.
We send so much shit up into the skies
that we cannot drink from our water supplies.
But the bug, he knows he can survive
because he knows nature will always provide.
Drip Drip Drip goes the faucet
as I try my best to sleep.
The neighbour’s dog is barking
and so is the mutt up the street.
I tried warm milk, counted every sheep on old MacDonald’s Farm
and still I lay awake, waiting for the morning alarm.
On the clock in front of me
a one changes to a two, and then into a three
Two cups of strong coffee in the morning
and groggy until the next night
falling asleep wherever I go, can’t wait to make it right
until I hit the bed and already I know
I won’t sleep tonight.
This annoying little poem is how I spent my night and is also my entry into this week’s Friday Fictioneers. Click on the link to read more stories in this week’s collection.
They were poor folks back then, raising cattle and hens, their father finding work wherever he could, struggling to make ends meet.
The family was large, but not for the time. Eleven kids, six girls and five boys. Mom and dad made it thirteen.
A one room school served the entire community, and church law was law. Nobody challenged the school master. She was a nun from a nearby village, and her scorn was cruel and pointless.
Kids grew up and stayed on as farmhands, they didn’t venture away from home to find themselves.
Her dad drank a lot back then, it was the way. Women stayed home to tend to the farm and take care of the kids, the men partied when times were hard and worked when they could.
She wanted something different for her kids, something better. Unlike most, she never dropped out of school and married young. Rather, she finished high school and left home to teach others.
This journey brought her to a bigger town than she ever imagined. From there she met a man who she loved from the start. She married him.
They built a small house in a small community and started a family. They both struggled financially as she gave up teaching and he worked odd jobs and drove cab.
The town began to prosper, and he got a job as a logger for a local sawmill. Times were getting a bit easier, but as times got better, the family grew. Money was short, but she managed what little they had and they were happy.
As the kids grew, there was hope for a brighter future. Some went off to college, some married and raised families.
Now they are in their senior years, and they are happy. Grand kids adorn their home on weekends, and they spend each day together, celebrating their love for one another. Today we are gathering at their home, bringing cards and gifts and mostly love.
Happy Mothers Day Mom, we love you so much.
A bright young man
raised in a small town
in Newfoundland
His future was bright
no end in sight
he left home for the big city
This was 1950
Hey there Matey
He joined the Navy
and quickly became a man
On the Canadian Warship Athabaskan
Being green and too shy
he hung with the wrong group of guys
They used his naivety as a distraction
They barred him in the hold
for three days I was told
causing the young man pain and grief
he questioned his sanity and beliefs.
sitting alone in the dark
without even a spark
lots can happen to a man’s mind that way
Years of counselling at hospitals and the VA
on drug and shock therapy that was experimental
one day he left the hospital
He returned to the island, to start a new life
in a few years he met his wife
He got a job with the railway
and passed the days away
and for once, he enjoyed his life
but bouts of depression
and drugs set to stimulate
or even manipulate
the very thoughts that haunted his sleep.
Regular visits to the doctor
took away his honor
When nothing worked, he hit a wall
Tried twice to end it all
or to get someone to listen to his Plea
and then finally, a doc from the other side of the world figured it out
PTSD
and all of a sudden he got help
and with this new found peace
his life took a new lease
a chance to live happily
and he settled down and had a family
to his three daughters he gave the world
but would not utter a word
about his past in the Canadian Navy
or his being considered ‘crazy’.
I lost a dear friend today. Deanna O’Gorman was a very special person who made an impact on everybody fortunate enough to have known her. I am a better person because of her.
Deanna was born with a condition that halted the growth of her body. She was short in stature, but her heart was as big and as pure as the world. She may have been a tiny person, but she was as feisty as they come.
I first met Deanna back in the 90’s; a turbulent time in my life where nothing seemed to work out for me. She and I became very close friends, hanging out together many times. We lost touch sometime between then and now, but I did manage to see her a few times. She had one son, Colby who grew up to be a fine young man. He will be quite successful in his life because he had the support of an amazing mother.
At just 43 years of age, I don’t think the world was ready to let go of Deanna, I know I wasn’t ready. Her condition took it’s toll on her heart and a double bout of pneumonia was more than she could handle. She spent most of yesterday on life support and she left this world today. My prayers are with her family and her very large circle of friends.
Today many people are sad, but I feel fortunate that I was lucky enough to know this very special person. The world will miss you Deanna O’Gorman. RIP
It’s Christmas morning and little Tommy was bad
his siblings were excited to see what they had
“There’s no Santa, Little Tommy would scold”
but in his stocking, was a lump of coal
I have been nowhere
I have been everywhere
Nobody knows who the hell I am
everyone knows me and fears me
I am good
I am pure evil
I kissed the girl next door
I killed the girl next door
I bought a new car
I stole your new car
I am sleepy
I am always awake
I am bored
I am excited
God will get you for this
Don’t bring him into this…again
The battle between Good and Evil continues…
Memories
So delicate, so special
once forgotten, gone forever
I put them to paper so they live on
even after I am long gone
That way, others can enjoy them
and live them
just as I have done
SightsnBytes 