A Most Surreal Year

A most surreal year it’s been,
As everyone has seen.
But we expected just as much
In Twenty Seventeen.

For after such a train wreck
Of a year that was the last,
It only stands to reason
That we’d feel we’ve aged so fast!

We’ve seen the worst offenses made
Against democracy
And been forced to endure the most
Blatant hypocrisy.

Some relatives think all is fine,
Or so they boast with pride.
(I smile at them politely
While I’m screaming deep inside.)

Yet though current events have put
My patience to the test,
Far from the worst of all my years,
For me, this was the best!

I left the world I knew behind
To start my life anew.
And every day, I’m grateful
To be with my love so true.

I’ve worked as hard as ever
To achieve my author dreams.
(It’s true that writing novels
Is much harder than it seems.)

So here’s to one more year past as
A brand new one draws near.
May Twenty Eighteen prove to be
A less surreal year!

A Night of Festivity

Dad and I hang the last of the lights on the tree and plug them in. I step back and smile at the colored display before us. Mom and my sisters have finished decorating the rest of the house to match the festive tree, just in time for the family’s arrival! Our guests arrive later in the day, and my parents, sisters, and I make sure to give them the warmest welcome. We spend the evening talking and laughing, until at last we all sit down to Mom’s delicious feast. When we’re all sure we couldn’t eat another bite, we gather round the tree to exchange the gifts wrapped beneath it. The evening passes in delight and peace, and I find I can’t stop smiling. I couldn’t have asked for a merrier Christmas!

Tidings of good cheer
Share the joy with family
Christmastime is here!
May your day be warm and bright
Have a happy holiday!


Merry Christmas to all my family, friends, and readers who are celebrating! May you all have a blessed holiday season!

A Day for Family

The moment I walk into the kitchen, I’m greeted by warm and delightful smells. We’ve been working on this dinner since this morning and looking forward to it for weeks, and it’ll finally pay off tonight. As I pull the turkey from the oven, the doorbell rings. Mom hurries to answer it, and within minutes, more of our relatives are filing into the living room to greet the other guests. I smile to myself in the kitchen; Grandma and Grandpa never get this many visitors in an entire year! The day passes in laughter and joyful conversation (and maybe the occasional “friendly argument”), until finally evening comes and we sit down to eat. We join hands and give thanks, then we indulge in the most delicious meal of the year. I look around at all the people I love and grin; it’s easy to know what I’m most thankful for!

I always feel blessed
On this day of giving thanks
With my family
Celebrate the joys of life!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!


Happy belated Thanksgiving to all my family, friends, and readers who celebrated! Have a blessed weekend!

The Warm Scents of Autumn (Colleen’s Weekly #Poetry Challenge – #Tanka)

Sweet scents fill the air

Colored leaves and pumpkin pies

On the crisp fall breeze

Autumn’s welcoming embrace

Always warms my homesick heart


My response to the third of Colleen Chesebro‘s Weekly Poetry Challenges for November: Smell & Cozy. The twist for this month is to only use synonyms for the prompt words! For this challenge, I chose to write an autumn-themed tanka. I hope you enjoy the poem! Thanks for the prompt, Colleen!

Pin It on Pinterest