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I’m still trying to get the hang of recording my work and becoming more comfortable sharing it publicly.
Well, maybe not “comfortable” – but quite a bit less scared.
This is a poem that I wrote for Debbie Phillips of Wabash, Indiana a few years ago and recorded recently in honor of her 83rd birthday. Please click the triangle in the middle of the image below to listen:
“Speaking of Tulips”
A snow began to threaten
Tight new tulips in the yard
Disappointed grief set in
For the buds would soon be marred
Deb didn’t like to do it,
But said, “Snip them at the base.”
So, I brought them in her kitchen
Where she put them in a vase
“Too bad those flowers won’t open,”
She stated with some dismay
But she never fussed nor fretted
She just went about her day
I never saw her coax them
Their petals she didn’t pry
Just let those tulips rest there
Where it was safe, warm, and dry
I didn’t see it happen
When the miracle took place
But when I brought them to her
There was shock upon her face
Those precious buds had opened
Showing colors deep inside
Displaying for her pleasure
What they’d tried so hard to hide
They must have felt quite welcomed
By her hospitality
For all at once they’d opened
It seems shelter was the key
I felt a sort of kinship
With those flowers on display
For my heart was shut up tight
With words my mouth wouldn’t say
Deb didn’t use a crowbar
Just sat rocking in her chair
She took the time to listen
Drawing forth each tiny care
My heart felt safe to open
Just a little at a time
And so, I’d like to thank her
With this feeble little rhyme
She has a way about her
Warming others from the cold
Those tulips showed a portrait
My two lips could not have told
Thanks for reading what I’m writing,
Jody Susan
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