My Grandma the Poet: Revisited (Guest Poem by Lura Newland: Your Rainbow)

 

Tim Kavi with his grandmother, Lura Newland @ 1978

Today would be my grandma's 121st birthday. I've written about her before in several posts on different birthdates. Here's one link. When I was very very young, grandma used to write her poems and she would encourage me to do so along with her. She was a profound influence on me in many ways. I come from a line of poets, going back generations; my great grandfather (grandma's dad), my grandmother, my mother, and then me, and now, my daughter! My publisher has accepted a collection of poems that will be published of my grandma's work. This collection will be called Heartland: Poems from the Heart by Lura Newland. (The following poem is about the gardens that she planted with my grandfather every year, and how tending to their beautiful garden caused a beautiful rainbow!  A perfect poem as we start to contemplate spring. :-)).~~TK

Your Rainbow (poem)
by Lura M. Newland

A posie here and a daisy there

Lillies and roses and 'mums everywhere.

Who planted them there but he and you,

That's what made the beauty as the garden grew.

Beauty in God's hand with love he gave,

Brought out in the flowers you worked to save.

Flowers of all sizes, colors so rare,

They looked so beautiful planted there.

They need not be spaced so far apart,

Each little root was a hunk of your heart.

A wee little hunk that grew so big,

When you really did get down to dig.

The soil is so rich with joy and love,

When watered with teardrops from above.

Teardrops, like diamonds, from Heaven did fall,

To make the rainbow from the colors all.

There's a rainbow in your garden plot,

A painter's Glory and God's Beauty Spot.

God needed help to make it that way,

So the posies took over by blooming each day

You had to put in your two-bits worth,

By planting and digging and coaxing Mother Earth.

You wielded the rake and used the hoe,

To make perfect, each tiny little row.

The row could be long, deep, or a little short,

Then scattered with seeds of all sorts.

Then a few days of sunshine, then rain,

The Beauty paid off for all the pain.

The pain from stooping on bended knees,

No one else would have flowers like these.

Now let us sit back and count up the score,

See what we have we didn't have before.

We see posies, joy, beauty and love,

Sunshine and teardrops from Heaven above.

That's what made that garden so beautiful one day,

When it turned the posies into God's Bouquet.

God's Bouquet to have and to hold,

The Rainbow of colors and the pot of gold.

Teardrops helped posies to fill your garden, you know,

With love, woven into God's Bouquet and Your Rainbow.

A Tree Overlooking Existence (new poem)

A Tree Overlooking Existence (poem)

by Tim Kavi

A tree, I'm looking for

where I'm the same

in Nature grown

And what is known

Flows in a sweet refrain

of my existence, la la

Where gladness pours

across the flowered meadows

where the sunlight feeds the tops

of the seated places

where my sadness goes in retreat

of my existence, la la la!

lost in space

from the Earth's froth, my roots

run deep into the watered ground

across the withered plains

there's a forest, by the winding brook

of my existence, la la la la!

collapsed in time

superpositions, gray matter

fired neurons across a landscape

bring disturbing visions that promise peace

something's not right, in the light

of my existence, fa la la!

We, my fellow primates and I

are sitting in the treetops

safe where we imagine we see all

heavenly thrones of power

dripping knowledge, like raindrops

of our existence, fa la la la!

there it is; the quieting path below

one we have sought, 

in silencing reverence

as we descend and ascend

the ladders of the places we've got

of our existence, fa la la la la!

there in the calming spaces

of the open vistas 

the countrysides and rocky

paths and highways

that shine to us

Peace! in the open arms of our existence!

Rain Country (new poem)

Rain Country by Tim Kavi 

wet drops

so consuming that

they threaten

to flood you

with waves

of self deprecation

for ever

braving the elements

that you are convinced

of monsoon

qualities

until dancing in

the dirt

You realize

You are like the lush

green plants

thirsty

yet in this case

not knowing it

YOU are found

to be alive

dancing in vibrant

leafy expressions

of love

and life

until not one

moment is lost.

gentle raindrops (new poem)

gentle raindrops
by tim kavi

gentle raindrops fall softly
across glistening green skin
We and Nature
heartbeats as one
in the dawning sun

steam rises from the Earth
plantings of our love everywhere
gentle shoulders slope
of what tomorrow brings
in mountains of hope

in the passion of longing
love buds anew
while songs of birds flew
among the shadowed rocks

where there is only
the whisper of our kiss
enduring forever

the stream of love
and time carries on.

Healing Rain (New Poem)

Healing Rain

by Tim Kavi

gentle woman

I see you sleeping

see you twist there

for you awaken many times

writhing in pain

your scars

are kissed by me every day

and your aches soothed

by my love

yet I line up your medicines

hold your hand gently

help your labored breaths

inject your pain meds

apply a wet rag to your hurting face

I pray and pray

and love you so deeply

as we sing together softly

and hold each other in love

I feel the teardrops falling

and I see they

have become a healing rain.

Valley of Moon (New Poem)

Valley of Moon

by Tim Kavi

in the valley

of moon the jade flute sings.

You are my sun at sunrise

and my ocean at the beach stretching endlessly.

I wake up and look out my window

Spring has come and I see where

your love has been

busy as everything is growing now

it has even dripped a misty rain on the lilacs

in our garden now

there is a purpose to all that is living

to appreciate the rain you brought

to give thanks for the food we had sought

for your nourishment is never empty and never brings drought.

cracked and dry earth is no longer parched

the flowers in the dirt bear pretty designs

that which ate and destroyed is kept silent and lifeless

captured and dead before your loving eyes.

So let Nature and I be dancing

let the stars swing by me

I am tapping on the Earth with lively feet

dancing in the romance of your love that reaches

so that wherever I go is never dragging

my spirit is freed in space and time

I will get there yesterday and tomorrow

for everywhere I am alive!

and lest you think I am joking

I closed my window blinds and sensing your presence had filled the room

I saw the dark place full of light

and I know now that even when you come and go

every moment I am never alone

and I am always loved, sweet valley of moon

I play the jade flute now

tomorrow I am your happy groom.

Remember (New Poem)

Remember

by Tim Kavi

the speaking

Goddess said

remember you

are my love

I am your bread!

I said:

how can I forget ?

you are like the rain

to the desert

the snow to the river

the wind to the long

lost sail

and the love

to the lovelost seeker

in the wind I hear

your words

in my soul

my obligation

to love you

with my heart

mind

body and soul

to look you

in the eyes

and see your Goddess

Nature

is to only

quake in holy fear

at the arising

and overpowering

love

that has come

to set me free.

the World is Flat (new poem)

"The World is Flat"

by Tim Kavi

your mountains

reach to the heavens

seas lap

at your shores

rivers flow from the mountains

there is rare earth

in your stores

trees and jungles grow lush

fresh and green

where the water fell like rain

on your great navel

a natural scene

kissing across

all longitudes and latitudes

beauty I mean

the Earth is flat

where I painted it

on your cute belly

with my kisses

where Nature is revealed

kisses grew

on the globe's

depictions

your sweet flat

belly

where the world

is seen.

So Beautiful (poem with brief comment)

"So Beautiful"
by Tim Kavi

Artemis
my goddess
and my love
You are so beautiful
that all of nature

sees you and smiles
trees bend to bow before you
the wind cools you
and the gentle rain
refreshes you

gentle goddess
because you have
walked through the rain
all below
nearly faint
to follow
you to your sacred
hollow

you have eased our pain
healed our sickness
and sang the endless
songs

until gathered
around us
the oldsters
tell your histories
that become myths
to the generations
that follow.

poet's brief comment: Artemis was not chosen by accident, but with deep intentional symbolism for this poem. I will not comment upon why, encouraged readers can research her myth. The most significant aspect of the creation of this poem, is that while I was writing this poem I was in a sort of mystical state of meditation when her name came clearly to my mind and spirit. Or perhaps this was a state of confusion following my recent illness (in which case her healing is welcome).