Saturday, April 18, 2015

PO-EMotion -- Happiness


from Wikimedia


SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO LOOK HARD TO FIND HAPPINESS

Before I was born, my dad was an ag pilot.
He traded freedom and flight for
responsibility and safety and John Deere parts.

Growing up,
we often went for Sunday drives in the country
to get out of town and look at the crops.

But sometimes,
he borrowed a plane and we slipped the surly bonds of earth*
and flew over the faded quilt of fields.

Ironically,
the flight pattern of our small town airport
went right over our back yard.

One summer, I planted a smiley face of marigolds
for the pilots to see
as they came in on final.


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015


* "slipped the surly bonds of earth" is from my dad's favorite poem "High Flight" by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
Here's John Denver singing the poem as a song (scrub to 3:25). We played this at dad's funeral.









Carol, at Carol's Corner, will join me again this year as often as possible.

Kimberley, at iWrite in Maine, is joining me this month. 
Kay, at A Journey Through the Pages, is joining, too!
"Happiness Is..."

Steve, at inside the dog, is sharing his poems 
in the comments at Poetrepository.


Heidi, at my juicy little universe, will join us when she can.

Linda, at TeacherDance, will join as often as she can.
Check the comments at A Year of Reading or Poetrepository for her poems.

Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind) is back this year,
leaving poetry trax in the comments.

Carol, at Beyond Literacy Link, is writing alongside us when she can.
She finds happiness in family.

Jone, at DeoWriter, is doing a "double L" challenge. 
She and I are cross-poLLinating our challenges whenever possible.



8 comments:

  1. I love the faded quilt metaphor. Brings such a picture of happiness.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a snapshot of your dad- I especially love the line about trading freedom and flight for responsibility and safety and John Deere parts.

    "Happiness"

    my friend
    Wendy says
    it is
    entirely
    impossible

    to eat
    an ice cream cone
    without
    smiling.

    I've tested her hypothesis
    many times.

    It's definitely true.

    (C) Carol Wilcox, 2015

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love that you quoted one of my favorite poems--High Flight. I flew (just private's license) before I got married but gave it up for safety and responsibility. There is nothing quite like seeing the world from above. I bet the pilots smiled at your marigolds.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let's have a poem about flying!!

      Delete
    2. I will have to try that! Wonder or zest seem to have good potential for it!

      Delete
  4. So many lines to love - "a smiley face of marigolds...traded freedom and flight...faded quilt of fields." But my favorite has to be "Sunday drives in the country..." We did those too, and I thought the purpose was to visit relatives. I never realized that Dad was looking at the crops.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I rest in the quiet of your narrative poem remembering my childhood. Here is my offering for happiness, a word that lights up my space. http://beyondliteracylink.blogspot.com/2015/04/celebrating-poetic-voice.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mary Lee,

    Your PO-EMotion project is bringing me happiness. "a smiley face of marigolds" sums it up perfectly : )

    I hope you consider self-publishing these poems in one little book--I would love to purchase it!

    Thank you, as always, for sharing your reflections and perspective. Your words--whether in poetry or prose/blogspeak--bring a smile to my face many a day!

    Lisa
    www.stepsandstaircases.tumblr.com

    ReplyDelete

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