Where do you feel at home?

In this post I am sharing a poem I wrote in 2021 for the topic home. As with all writing and photos on the internet, I ask that you please respect my copyright.

Feeling at home

Where do I feel at home?
Where the people speak with voices
And accents I recognise,
Away from unfamiliar noises.

Where do I feel at home?
Where I can be of help
Or walking on the beach
Looking for sea-life like kelp.

Where do I feel at home?
Where the people worship God
In ways I feel happy with
In places other pilgrims trod.

Where do I feel at home?
In church in the front stall
Singing with the altos
Making music to praise God withal.

Where do I feel at home?
In our house or elsewhere
If a welcome is extended.
Welcome is having time to share.

Where do you feel at home?
When we are together
I hope that you feel at ease
And not at the end of your tether!

A Christmas poem

Soon after I joined one of the Association of Christian Writers’ online genre* groups we were challenged to write something about the Christmas story. I shared one of my Advent poems, which may be heard on Soundcloud. (It is the third one.) The following poem has been published in ACW’s print magazine, Christian Writer. I read it in a concert of carols and readings in December 2021, but this is the first time the text has appeared online. It is the second of two poems on Soundcloud.

The poem is based on Luke 2:1-20

*The genre group is for Christian writers of historical and biblical fiction.

Christmas visitors 
 
Joseph (with Mary on a donkey) 
Arrived in Bethlehem 
And went to see 
If there was room for them. 
They had arrived too late! 
Cousins and uncles and a great aunt, 
Were quick to state, 
‘Stay here?’ ‘No chance!’ ‘You can’t!’ 
 
Joseph was downcast and asked, 
‘Is there no nook or cranny?’ 
A kinsman was tasked 
By a kind, friendly granny 
To show them the stable. 
It was warm and dry, 
So they were able 
To shelter. What’s that cry? 
 
Mary’s baby’s been born. 
Jesus is his name. 
He is lying on stalks of corn; 
Angels tell of his fame. 
 
Some shepherds came down 
From the fields, leaving sheep. 
They found the babe in the town. 
Was he fast asleep? 
The angels had told them, 
‘The Messiah is here. 
‘Go to Bethlehem. 
‘There is no need to fear!’ 
 
So they had left their sheep 
And gone to Bethlehem, 
Where the babe from sleep 
Blinked and gazed at them. 
They returned with great joy 
For they knew that they’d seen 
The most wonderful boy – 
A nativity scene! 
 
© Susan Sanderson 29 September 2021 

Pacific Island paint chip poem

The words and phrases for this week’s paint chip challenge from Gigglingfattie are Lunar Tide, Dark Everglade, Green Parakeet and Kauai.

I found this challenge really difficult – I was nonplussed by three of the paint chips.

I am familiar with Green parakeets as they have become naturalised in parts of the UK. I have seen and heard them around London and South Manchester. I learned that they come from an area of southern USA and Central America.

Kauai is one of the Hawaiian Islands I hadn’t heard about. I had to research the number of syllables – there are three with the emphasis on the second one, and the pronunciation. The final sound is EE. Kauai more or less rhymes with Hawaii.

There are some beautiful pictures of the island on the web.

Lunar tides were a puzzle to me. I was under the impression that tides were governed by the moon. A bit of research showed me that there are two components – the gravitational pull of the sun also affects the tides. (It’s becoming obvious I didn’t study geography long enough.)

Dark Everglade was another phrase that I didn’t understand. Everglades are swampy areas of grass in Florida.

Now I’ve sorted out all of that it is easier to write a poem!

Pacific Island

The lunar tide controls the size
Of exposed sand around Kauai.
Tourists feast their eyes
On mountains and blue sea,
On trees of dark everglade green
And fields coloured like green parakeets.
I have never seen
Kauai’s island treats.

How many of these phrases did you understand, dear Reader? Which country do you live in?