Messages from Bluebird

Poems by Gayle Bluebird, 6-1-23

Gayle Bluebird Dancing with Youthfulness on Her 80th Birthday in early 2023.

Happiness Spreads

You take the gifts of your

Life,

The parts of you that

Shine,

You always knew that

Rainbows

Happened quickly,

You have to catch them

At the time,

Or you miss out--

Happiness can last but

You have to stroke it

Like a steely cat--

Spread it, like,

Cream cheese and jelly.

You know others who are

Homeless,

Striding through impediments,

...in numbness,

...unable to feel

Happiness--

Our shoes need to fit

Wide enough

To walk with others,

Share until fatigue

Wins out,

But never stop being

Happy,

Walking

Even when you

Sleepwalk.

###

Listen to the Birds

In the many

Trees

Outside,

Birds are singing

Repetitively,

Interpretively

Words,

Invitations

to enjoy.

Reminders that

Life is not just

  filled with questions,

But

   full of answers.

Doors open wide.

Flower friends

Are sprouting different

Colors

blending

with the sky.

My mind must

In stillness be.

###

If You Are Older

This poem is for you.

Not done yet, we

may need pep talks.

Our bodies

With a few cracks,

Can still go dancing

with new costumes

And plumes in our hair.

We have wisdom to

Share

from our life experiences,

Places to go,

Dreams yet to fulfill,

Sun to capture at

Sea-side edges

With real vitamin D,

Not from a bottle.

We have memories,

So many, we can't

Remember them all.

At our pace at full-steam-

Ahead,

We may be ready

for romance,

Should it happen our way.

Skip cotton candy,

but not the Ferris-wheel.

A handful of peanuts for

health in our pockets,

Long walks in neighborhoods,

Making new friends,

We have new mysteries

to ponder.

For us, if we choose,

A life still gratifying,

and delicious.

Not slow, but fast-

as-we-can.

Maybe just not on

Horseback.

 ###

From My Third Floor Window

What I see,

A blinking light in a distance,

Cars come through the gate,

Who is it?

The roaming white cat

All fed and plump,

(Says he belongs here)

And that is that!

My car sitting safely

On the parking lot,

People walking beyond the

Fence, (going to play,

Eat, at a nearby cafe),

The siren Red Rescue

Occasionally,

Someone here has

Fallen or with a heart-stopped--

You might think my view is

Petty,

Not at all dressed up with

Sights

All pretty,

But from it I see the clouds

Move,

The sun making up its

Mind,

And stars at night,

No curtains,

No closed blinds.

I like the openness of

The sky.

When I see what

Outside is happening,

It’s mine,

Temporarily,

No matter how it might

Seem.

###

Rainy Day

The trees bend,

Wipers in cars

Rotate back and

Forth.

Great day for upstretched

Arms, exercise inside,

Making a vegetable soup,

Reading a book,

Cleaning the bathtub,

Taking a shower,

Anything avoided piled

Up-- You do an about-

Face.

You listen to politicians,

Hoping they can take us

Out of darkness into

Light.

You light scented candles

In the dining room.

Hope surrounds

Us when we

Join other voices.

Be a part of the Whole World,

Not just

Where we sit in good

And Plenty.

Give what we have and

Then some.

Aware

Awake, Alert—

Knowing

Change only happens

when we do the work.

Gayle Bluebird and Mae-Mae in front of the sculpture "Life" in Memorial Park, Jacksonville

Bluebird art by Joan Ingram on Gayle Bluebird’s Latest Book of Poetry, “Lantern To My Soul,” June 2023 (Front Cover)

Gayle Bluebird’s Latest Book of Poetry, “Lantern To My Soul,” June 2023 (Back Cover)