A Hint of Lilac – v2

At the edge of dusk,
the sky cooling slightly,
a pink glow rising,
with just a hint of lilac…
 
Before the darkening came,
After dusk’s amber light,
the sky alit in softer hues,
before the coming of night…
 
------------
Edited January 31, 2024
A Hint of Lilac – v2
 
October 10, 2010
A Hint of Lilac
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2010/10/hint-of-lilac.html
driving on Pembroke Street
in Pembroke, NH
October 9, 2010
 
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com)  for usage. See all 53,000+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com  Poetry Where You Live.
 
poetry, faith, God, autumn, fall, nature, leaves, color, Poetry Where You Live, Raymond A. Foss, cold, sky, gray, blue, amber, light, dusk, pink, lilac, 
 
#poetry #faith #God #autumn #fall #nature #leaves #color #PoetryWhereYouLive #RaymondAFoss #cold #sky #gray #blue #amber #light #dusk #pink #lilac

Pink Slides – v3

I saw her for but a split second,
driving down Canal toward home,
off to the left, next to me, behind me,
almost over my shoulder.
 
Something didn’t fit,
caught my eye,
even in peripheral vision,
made me look again, shake my head,
try to make sense of the look,
the affect she was going for;
Strange.
 
No, there was something wrong,
out of step, disjointed,
something that caught me,
in that slack space,
making me pause, close to home,
breaking me from the auto-pilot.
 
It was the shoes, her shoes.
 
Her top was pink, nothing special,
she worn grey flare jersey pants,
anything but Capri,
scalloped and stitched at the bottom,
in the old days, they would have been called sweats,
that made sense, just a block down from Curves.
 
But they weren’t matched to the top,
They were matched, paired,
to her pink strap slides;
They were the thing that didn’t fit,
made me look again,
far too formal.
 
They may not have had spiked heels; but they were,
shoes she would have worn out to cocktails last night,
the bars on Elm Street, or darker ones, closer to the water,
shoes for the club scene, not a stroll down on Canal…
 
Incongruous on the sidewalk,
in the middle of the day,
in the sunlight, harsh, revealing,
visible for a moment,
as she strutted down, purposefully,
heading toward the bridge.
 
-----
Edited January 26, 2024
Pink slides – v3
 
Edited November 5, 2012
Pink Slides – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/11/pink-slides-v2.html
June 24, 2006 20:24
Pink Slides
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/06/pink-slides.html
And no, I have no idea what she looked like.
 
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com)  for usage. See all 53,000+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.
 
America, colors, shoes, Driving, eyes, faith poetry, Family, God, home, June, light, Manchester NH, New Hampshire, pink, poem, poetry, Poetry Where You Live, senses, Writing Poetry
 
#shoes #America #colors #Driving #eyes #Family #God #light #ManchesterNH #NH #pink #poem #poetry #senses #Writing

Darks, Whites, and … Pinks – v3

A routine task made different

with three little girls in the house
For a man who learned
laundry “skills” in college,
long before boys took Home Ec.

Back then we were lucky

when the laundry room was empty

when there was more
than a single load of clothes
(that didn’t cause a washer to tilt)

Now with a four, five, and nine year old

(or so they were back then),
a cluster of little princesses,
It is darks, whites, brights, and pinks
when I sort their clothes

Separate baskets, separate settings,
handling, for pink clothes,

for “dry clean only”–
Capris, and “blouses”, and skorts,
Oh My!

----------------------

edited January 12, 2019

Darks, Whites, and Pinks – v3

edited June 15, 2014

Darks, Whites, and Pinks – v2

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2014/06/darks-whites-and-pinks-v2.html

Father’s Day

4/20/06 3:00pm

Darks, Whites, and Pinks

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/04/darks-whites-and-pinks.html

All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 48,420 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

daughter, Erica, faith, Family, God, home, house, pink, Poetry Where You Live, Raymond A. Foss, Shanequa, Shyanne, sing, white, America, Father’s Day, love, happiness, joy, laundry,

#daughter #Erica #faith #Family #God #home #house #pink #poetry #Shanequa #Shyanne #sing #colors #laundry #America #FathersDay #love #happiness #joy #proud #father #housework #HomeEc 

Clovers of the Field – v2

A burst of pink, or a little purple,

in a field of shades of green

a bee oasis, within the meadow,

a camera tease

small bristles on the stems

pretty delicate flowers in the blossoms

sweet flowers in the hay field,

please stay awhile.

=====

edited April 10, 2015

Clovers of the Field – v2

August 3, 2006 18:35

Clovers of the Field

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/08/clovers-of-field.html

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7669/345/1600/7-31-2006-19.jpg

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 37,010+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

His Pencil – v2

Sitting down, the kitchen table

late lunch, lot going on

the busyness of life present.

His pencil, well, not exactly,

sitting there on the table

a cascade of memory.

Such a vivid image,

a rich visual memory

a Ticonderoga 2 5/10, medium

that same yellow and green,

same script of the lettering

But this was different than his.

His pencils, Ticonderoga No. 3, (hard/fine).

Always sharpened, ready for use,

the sharpener screwed to the desk,

each pencil, always, seemingly, full length,

a full, untrammeled, pink eraser

somehow they always were so,

or so my memory is, clear,

even forty some years on

His pencil, his precision,

his desk always neat,

his care for details

no clutter that I can remember

a rich flood of the thoughts of him

while sitting down

for a moment of peace, lunch

at the kitchen table.

----

edited June 28, 2014

His Pencil – v2

February 7, 2009

His Pencil

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2009/02/his-pencil.html

(only a Ticonderoga No. 3)

Dixon Ticonderoga Pencils

https://www.facebook.com/DixonTiconderoga

http://www.dixonticonderoga.com/

http://www.dixonticonderoga.com/learn/index.cfm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixon_Ticonderoga_Company

https://twitter.com/DIXONTICPRANG

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 30,790+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Darks, Whites, and … Pinks – v2

A routine task made different

with three little girls in the house
For a man who learned
laundry “skills” in college,
long before boys took Home Ec.

Back then we were lucky

when the laundry room was empty

when there was more
than a single load
(that didn’t cause the washer to tilt)

Now with a four, five, and nine year old

(or so they were then),
a cluster of little princesses,
It is darks, whites, and pinks
when I sort their clothes

Separate baskets, separate settings,
for pink clothes,

for “dry clean only”–
Capris, and “blouses”, and skorts,
Oh My!

----------------------

edited January 12, 2019

Darks, Whites, and Pinks – v3

https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2019/01/darks-whites-and-pinks-v3.html
edited June 15, 2014

Darks, Whites, and Pinks – v2

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2014/06/darks-whites-and-pinks-v2.html

Father’s Day

4/20/06 3:00pm

Darks, Whites, and Pinks

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/04/darks-whites-and-pinks.html

All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com)  for usage. See all 50,810+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

daughter, Erica, faith, Family, God, home, house, pink, Poetry Where You Live, Raymond A. Foss, Shanequa, Shyanne, sing, white, America, Father’s Day, love, happiness, joy, laundry,

#daughter #Erica #faith #Family #God #home #house #pink #poetry #Shanequa #Shyanne #sing #colors #laundry #America #FathersDay #love #happiness #joy #proud #father #housework #HomeEc 

April Violet – v2

A new bloom

frilly and pink

between the rich and green

grafted and grown by your hands

warmed in the sun

given to me, a gift,

gone but remembered

preserved in resin,

and memory

this gift of your hands

edited April 3, 2014

April Violet – v2

6/4/04 20:50

April Violet

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2004/06/april-violet.html

About a special new breed of violet that

my paternal grandmother, Jessie Foss,

gave me when I was a pre-teen.

I preserved the bloom in resin,

which cracked because of the moisture in it.

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 28,750+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Watermelon Taffy – v3

The cooling fading sunset

as a night by the ocean, the boardwalk

the smells pungent, sweet

Ribbons of pink, pulling, wisps,

swirls, pulled threads of confection

a darkening color

like watermelon taffy

changing to rose, to plum,

fading to dust on the wind

cooling into darkness,

while we sit on the lawn,

listening to the band,

waiting for the fireworks

edited March 5, 2014 and March 7, 2014

Watermelon Taffy – v3

(editing original again)

Edited January 21, 2014

Watermelon Taffy – v2

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2014/01/watermelon-taffy-v2.html

July 4, 2008  20:51

Watermelon Taffy

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2008/07/blog-post_5398.html

written at July 4^th celebration

Wesley United Methodist Church,

Concord, NH

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 28,260+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Watermelon Taffy – v2

cooling fading sunset

ribbons of pink, wisps,

swirls, pulled threads of taffy

brushed heavily

edges showing

pulled across the sky

darkening colors, deeper,

blended, morphing

like watermelon taffy

changing to rose, to plum,

fading to dust on the wind

cooling into darkness,

while we sit on the lawn,

listening to the band,

waiting for the fireworks

Edited January 21, 2014

Watermelon Taffy – v2

July 4, 2008  20:51

Watermelon Taffy

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2008/07/blog-post_5398.html

written at July 4^th celebration

Wesley United Methodist Church,

Concord, NH

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 27,480+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Pink Slides - v2

I saw her for but a split second
driving down Canal toward home
off to the left, next to me, behind me
almost over my shoulder
 
Something didn’t fit
caught my eye,
even in peripheral vision
made me look again, shake my head
try to make sense of the look
the affect she was going for,
strange,
 
No, there was something wrong,
out of step, disjointed,
something that caught me
in that slack space,
close to home,
breaking me from the auto-pilot
 
It was the shoes
 
Her top was pink, nothing special
she worn grey flare jersey pants,
anything but Capri,
scalloped and stitched at the bottom
in the old days, they would have been called sweats
that made sense, just a block down from Curves
but they weren’t matched to the top,
it was matched
to her pink strap slides
they were the thing that didn’t fit
made me look again
far too formal
 
They may not have had spiked heels; but they were
shoes she would have worn out to cocktails last night
the bars on Elm Street, or darker ones,  closer to the water
shoes for the club scene, not a stroll down on Canal
incongruous on the sidewalk
in the middle of the day
in the sunlight, harsh, revealing
visible for a moment
as she strutted down, purposeful,
toward the bridge
 
 
-----
Edited November 5, 2012
Pink Slides – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/11/pink-slides-v2.html
June 24, 2006 20:24
Pink Slides
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/06/pink-slides.html
And no, I have no idea what she looked like.
 
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com)  for usage. See all 53,000+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.
 
America, colors, shoes, Driving, eyes, faith poetry, Family, God, home, June, light, Manchester NH, New Hampshire, pink, poem, poetry, Poetry Where You Live, senses, Writing Poetry
 
#shoes #America #colors #Driving #eyes #Family #God #light #ManchesterNH #NH #pink #poem #poetry #senses #Writing

A Hint of Lilac

At the edge of dusk
the sky cooling slightly
a pink glow rising
with a hint of lilac
 
Before the darkening came
after the amber light
the sky alit in softer hues
before the coming of night

------------------ 
Edited January 31, 2024
A Hint of Lilac – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/01/a-hint-of-lilac-v2.html
October 10, 2010
A Hint of Lilac
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2010/10/hint-of-lilac.html
driving on Pembroke Street
in Pembroke, NH
October 9, 2010
 
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com)  for usage. See all 53,000+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com  Poetry Where You Live.
 
poetry, faith, God, autumn, fall, nature, leaves, color, Poetry Where You Live, Raymond A. Foss, cold, sky, gray, blue, amber, light, dusk, pink, lilac, 
 
#poetry #faith #God #autumn #fall #nature #leaves #color #PoetryWhereYouLive #RaymondAFoss #cold #sky #gray #blue #amber #light #dusk #pink #lilac

Wait Until Next Year

The calendar says a little early
but the dandelions are up
the crocuses past their prime
soon the lilies will be up

Wait until next year
the sleds seem to say
dejectedly they hope
for a little bit of snow

Spring taking hold
the warmth unbelievable
the high for today
predicting eighty-four

The coats changing to sweaters
soon short-sleeves alone
man this warmth is wonderful
I sure don’t miss the cold

April 7, 2010





Copyright by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
Contact me at Ray Foss
for usage.

Dahlia - Jenny 092309

The Weight of the Starfish

Called by the girls, to their shape
the starfish beyond the water’s reach
in the shrinking pools
the rocks drying in the air
the rust pink of the starfish
alive outside the sea

The weight of the starfish
nestled in my hand
Feeling the message, the lesson
alive in my hands;
casting the starfish
back into the sea.

Repeating the scene
for three more starfish
returning them to the ocean,
each caught in that in-between place
the warming stones
before the cooling of the waters


August 9, 2009
Psalm 92:1-4
Isaiah 43:18-21
Luke 12:54-56
and sermon, “The View from Seven Decades:
The Power and Danger of Paradigms”,
by the Reverend Huntley Halvorson
Suncook United Methodist Church
July 19, 2009
and
Psalm 100
Luke 4:16-21
Isaiah 43:1-3a
Isaiah 43:18-21
and sermon, “The Power of Vision”,
by the Reverend Huntley Halvorson,
including, The Star Thrower Story by Joel Barker,
inspired by the writing of Loren Eiseley,
Suncook United Methodist Church
July 26, 2009
and
visit on August 6, 2009
to Beavertail Lighthouse
and rocks below
Jamestown, Rhode Island
www.beavertaillight.org

Dahlia - Jenny - 06/23/09

Day Lily - 06/19/09

Dahlia - Jenny - 06/19/09 7:48am

A Hidden Bloom

The rich, full, round rhododendron
bloom hidden, nestled
snug behind the yew, full green
deep forest, radiant chartreuse
where the growing edges are
the pink-purple bloom
hidden below the porch
found only by the bumblebees
drawn by its nectar, by its calling


May 26, 2009,
seen and named by Ruth, May 25, 2009,
knowing it would soon be a poem

Flowers in our yard - 05/23/09, Suncook, NH

Prayers of the People, by Pastor Ruth L. Foss, April 22, 2009, Earth Day, Boston University School of Theology, Marsh Chapel, Boston, MA

Eternal Spirit of the universe, you make a pink flower from a gray seed, an ear from a kernel, a carrot from a seed the size of a pinhead, an oak tree from an acorn. You have programmed your soil to provide food for your plants, wooden trees to make apples, feathered hens to lay eggs, grass-eating cows to give milk. And you, grand Creator, you have us take care of your grand creation. In your mercy, Sustainer of all, send rain to water our crops and gardens. Let your sun shine on our fields so that seeds will produce abundantly, so that vines and stalks and trees will hang heavy with fruit and grain. And God, let your grace be as rich to our cattle as it is to us; let it keep our hogs free of disease, our hens laying eggs, and our cows giving milk. May our animals be fertile; may our lambs and calves and pigs frolic in your green pastures so that even in their play we may see your grace.

In Your mercy,

Hear our prayer

Eternal Father-Mother-God, help us to live on your good earth, preserving and caring for the life and soil you bless, ever thankful that for our good you gave your laws of nature and your law of love. Help us for our good and your glory to see those laws as you see them and as the psalmist saw them, as good and perfect, pleasant to think about. Fountain of wisdom, teach us to share the abundance you have given us, never gloating in our excess but always giving our first bushels to feed the hungry in your name. Enlighten our hearts so that our thank-yous ever rise in a crescendo to your throne.

In Your mercy,

Hear our prayer

God of beauty and of justice, we pray for the earth, for restoration of soil, air, and water. We pray for all people you have created, for restoration of dignity and hope. We pray for our nation and community, for restoration of our sense of responsibility in service. We pray even for ourselves, for restoration of our resolve to love you and the world you made.

In Your mercy,

Hear our prayer

O Great Spirit whose voice we hear in the winds, and whose breath gives life to all the world, hear us. We come before you as your children. We are small and weak; we need your strength and wisdom. Let us walk in beauty and make our eyes ever behold the purple and red sunset. May our hands respect the things you have made, our ears to be sharp to hear your voice. Make us wise, so that we may know the things you have taught your people, the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. We seek strength not to be superior to our brothers and sisters, but to live in harmony with ourselves and all your creation. Help us to be ever ready to come to you, so when life fades as a fading sunset, our spirits may come to you without shame. In Christ’s name we pray.

AMEN

This prayer meshed together language from the United Methodist Book of Worship and the Worship Sourcebook.