Garden Time

We trowel and clip
We pull the weeds

We till the ground

We plant the seeds
We fertilize
We feed the soil
We water the seedlings,
Tend and toil
We love our plants
They make us grin
When will it be
Garden time again?

© 2024 Teresa Miles Kephart 

The Mighty Turtle

The turtle asked the robin,
"What gives you worm-catching speed?"

"I listen close, then use my bill.
"That's all the trick I need."

The turtle asked the cat,
"How do you pounce and dart?"

"I'm built to be lithe and lively.
That is my secret art."

The turtle asked the butterfly,
"How do you flutter in flight?"

"I once could only crawl," she said.
"We each have a hidden might."

© 2024 Teresa Miles Kephart 

Living Real

We learn from the beaver, a mason fantastic

And also the buck--aggressive,  bombastic
The hare makes its way through agility, veiling
The wolf remains loyal, its wisdom unfailing
Thus, living unfettered, the day's deeds impended,
We live real, off the land, as nature intended 

© 2024 Teresa Miles Kephart 

Wild

In the whisk of winter's wily winds
We sprint for sweaters to snuggle our skins
Our horses huddle in hay-filled stables
And wild game, roasted, graces our tables
We know the land, we fish the streams
To live in the wild--the fulfillment of dreams

© 2024 Teresa Miles Kephart 

Daily Chronicle Headlines Through the Week in Ruraltown, USA

Monday: Local Farmer Names Cows After Stars of Hollywood's Golden Age

Tuesday: Local Cows Bette and Joan Fight Over "Queen of the Pasture " Spot

Wednesday: Elizabeth and Ingrid Become Moo-mas

Thursday: New Calf Humphrey and Harlequin Hetty Become Hayfield Homies

Friday: Local Farmer's Cow Enclosure Upgraded to Cow Castle

Saturday: Clever Cows to Clomp in Local Parade

Sunday: Choreographed Cow Chorus Featured in Farm Festival

Joy

To rejoice, to exude joyous praise--
In all minutes,  all hours, and all days--
Is the spiritual goal of my heart,
Especially when troubles start. 
May I, most assuredly,  hold
The grace to be joyfully bold--
To cause other folks to look toward
My awesome,  incredible Lord;
That He be all the more lifted high 
In my life, as dear moments pass by.
May I be a testament  true
Of the blessing it is to know You.
Each day, Father, hasten my cheer
As I feel your arms ever so near.
God, reside in the front of my mind;
Let your joy remain easy to find.

© 2024 Teresa Miles Kephart 

Tiny Life

Mrs. Pepperpot;
The Borrowers and Tom Thumb;
The Lilliputians

The Indian in
The Cupboard, Thumbelina,
And all the Littles

© 2024 Teresa Miles Kephart 

Pink

Panther, flamingo, tutu,
Lipstick, cotton candy,
Barbie,  naked mole rats,
Cherry blossoms , pigs,

Bubblegum, baby girl onesie,
Breast cancer awareness hats

© 2024 Teresa Miles Kephart 

175

It's a combination lock
It's an interstate
In centimeters, five foot nine
It's an English short
Interagency review
And a Cessna engine line

© 2024 Teresa Miles Kephart 

Piccadilly Circus

 

Regent Street, 1819
Neon lights, video scene
London's mimic of Times Square
Bright, bold billboards dazzle there
Archer on a fountain's top
Place to go out on the hop
Heart of London, leisure silly
Restaurants, theatre, Piccadilly

Haikus on Adventure

 

I am going on
An adventure all my own
But you can come too

I love the chance to
Experience something new
On the regular

Why settle for the
Ordinary when you can
Have an adventure?

Home & Garden

Boho, vintage, shabby chic
Window treatment style on sleek
Wingback, armchair, cushioned stool

Outdoor upgrades to your pool
Lovely linens, rustic rugs

Bespoke rack to hang your mugs
Shiplap, beveled, headboard, beams
Rooms to satisfy your dreams
Flora, arches, tiles, and wood
Home and Garden does you good 

Quirky

 

Why does the beholder
Perceive with just his eye?
Does the male praying mantis
Know that he's going to die?
Why compare to a fish out of water
When the fish always ends up dead?
And how much bread does constitute
An allotment of daily bread?
Is surviving much better than viving--
Is to say "I survived" a high goal?
Was there a sniper who fired
From that infamous Grassy Knoll?
Does a "bucket list" need a mop
When plans get all messed up?
Why do drive-thru cups size up in ounces,
Yet breast size is measured in "cups"?
Could a meanie be full of great "meaning"
Or "pursed lips" mean expensive,  enhanced?
Is a snail that is slower delayed
And one that is faster advanced?
If you ask a mime where he's from,
Does he act out elaborate charades?
When sunglasses became the norm,
Who decided to call them "shades"?
In life there are many wonderings
And innovative thoughts,
A plethora of pondering,
And countless why's and why not's.
And if the mind is willing
To spark imagination,
The world is more wonderfully quirky--
That's my determination.

© 2024 Teresa Miles Kephart

Mary Jane

 

Mary Jane was a first-class pain
And a boaster, to her peers' disdain
At any challenge, any test--

Mary Jane claimed to be the best
And just before the school bell's chime
Each day, to signal learning time,
At her classmates' attire she'd look and say,
"I see you were stylishly challenged today."
At lunch, she'd eat her fancy cakes
And in math roll her eyes at others' mistakes
In English, she knew all the rules
And considered those who struggled "fools"
But one day it all became enough
For Mary Jane's teacher, Mrs. Pluff
She required Mary Jane to stay after school
And taught her about the Golden Rule
And then she told Mary, as blunt as could be,
"Mean people don't have friends, you see."
Then Mary Jane burst into tears
She hadn't had a friend in years
It wasn't fun, she had to admit
And vowed, from that day on, to quit
The next day she gave no one grief
They looked at her in disbelief
But after awhile they began to feel
The change in Mary Jane was real
Behaving in a kinder way,
She found more kindness came her way
Her classmates forgot she'd once been a pain
For they now had a friend named Mary Jane 

© 2024 Teresa Miles Kephart

You and Me

Fishing rods and reels
Facial masks and peels
Diffusers and oils

Flower pots and soils
Bookmarks and books
Crochet yarn and hooks
Tumblers and rocks
Cuckoos and clocks
Scarves and warm hats
Baseballs and bats
Diamonds and rings
Sauces and wings
Swings and slides
Grooms and brides
Pots and plants
Ant farms and ants
Brushes and combs
Gardens and gnomes
Babies and diapers
Windshields and wipers
Crackers and cheese
Forests and trees

All perfect fits, you see
Just like you and me

© 2024 Teresa Miles Kephart 

What Willy Joe Discovered

 

Willy Joe did not go looking;

He wasn’t on a search—

Just a normal prowly walk

Down the block and past the church.

He was just about reversing

When it stopped him in his tracks—

A door he hadn’t noticed

Nailed shut with metal tacks.

This derelict old building

He’d padded past before,

But he’d never gone exploring

Near that boarded-up old door.

First, he sniffed around (like always),

Found a gap—big as you please.

He was flexible and skinny,

So he got in there with ease.

 

When he stepped inside the structure,

There was quite a curious smell.

Just what scent he was smelling

His nose could not quite tell.

But when he heard the growling

And saw a big brown figure,

Willy Joe shot out that exit

Like an itchy trigger finger.

The bear gave out a bellow

And stood on its hind feet

But Willy wasn’t stopping

For a gnarly meet-and-greet.

Willy Joe returned home safely,

With lives to spare, at that—

But remained a curious sort;

Afterall, he was a cat.

 

© 2024 Teresa Miles Kephart

Prim

Primrose lived in a beautiful garden oasis, 
Where she spent her life in a kind of stasis--
Weeding her garden and tending her flowers;
On the cobblestone pathways, she would spend hours.
With her emerald green eyes and golden-wheat hair,
Compared to the plain sort of clothes she would wear,
Her striking looks were quite an allure.
What lay under the surface,  one couldn't be sure.
She loved all the beauty surrounding her home, 
But deep down she'd buried a yearning to roam--
To travel, discover, and see brand new places;
To photograph unfamiliar faces.
She longed to strike out on a world-wand'ring whim,
But all those who knew her said, "She's much too prim."
So, year after year, she would garden and trim.
After all, that's what others expected of "Prim."
Then one day an eagle flew by, overhead, 
And dropped a small thing on the top of her head--
A thin piece of fabric, tied up with a bow; 
One word was imprinted--it simply said, "Go."
This sign was so clear that it couldn't be missed.
Primrose started, in earnest, a caretakers list.
Her cousin came quickly to hold down the fort.
Soon Primrose was headed, fast, to the airport. 
As the plane hit the air, Prim laughed out in glee,
For she wasn't as prim as folks thought her to be.

© 2024 Teresa Miles Kephart 

Fuel

Fuel isn’t simply for motors

Or even to build the physique.

It’s inspiration for the mind—

Ideas that are unique;

The sparks of creativity

That light a brand new flame—

The color, texture, or mot juste;

It’s never just the same.

It’s motivation, relevance

That leads us from one place

To quite another locale

In form, intent, or space.

Fuel comes in many fashions

To kindle and inspire.

What starts out small may quickly,

As we know, become a fire.

 

© 2024 Teresa Miles Kephart