Saturday, May 26, 2012

It's time to start watching monarch butterflies!!
  I am certain that God,
who began the good work within you,
will continue his work
until it is finally finished
on the day when
Christ Jesus returns.
Philippians 1:6


Joining with my friends Sandy and Deidra

Sunday, May 20, 2012


"If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water." 
John 4:10

“But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life." John 4:13  
 
Joining with friends who drink from the same wellspring of Life


Friday, May 18, 2012

Uninvited

Death ,  you are
no stranger to us.
Yet , today you came, uninvited
and brought no
grace or mercy.

You tore
the hearts and lives
of those who give
grace and mercy
every day
to those who cannot
stand up to you alone. 
Hear this, O death,
you cannot conquer
those whose lives
are already filled
with Grace
and Mercy.
  For, while you may exist,
you are but a moment,
a breath, a step…
a means to a glorious
everlasting life.

Her Life
lives on in our hearts
and in the earthly lives
who will begin anew
because of
her heart
her eyes
her lungs
and life giving spirit
filled with
Grace and Mercy.
Patricia Spreng

Dedicated to Dell, our hospice nurse and precious friend, who shared grace and mercy every day.  Her legacy of a kind and gentle spirit will be remembered and loved by all of us.


Wednesday, May 16, 2012

How I Became A Biker Babe


Colorado is a long way.
18 hours of passing lanes.
Hit the road Jack(ie)…


So I followed them, I did.
Curiosity in the wind.
I, in the driver’s seat,
tailed them for hours, wondering
about helmets and handlebars
and leather pants hauling a-
cross country.


There were 9 of them
by my count, on
two wheels and free.
I was on four, encumbered by five
sets of legs and arms
and makeshift campsites staked within
my  four wheel drive,
with no one budging
from macs, ipods, dvds ,
earphones, books and iphones.


Mesmerized  or hypnotized,
I moved with them,
bending to the road’s every whim.
Until…
my inner biker babe
awakened
and I became one of them,
the rear guard
in a Chevy.
(It must have been
how Cinderella felt
in that pumpkin with all those rats.)


There weren’t many profound thoughts
on the road that day.
I rode free and wished to be
with them in the wind.


No, my daughter didn’t see the mountainous grandeur.
She didn’t see the sheer rock cliffs,
the fluttering aspen leaves
or cloudless, blue sky.
She didn’t notice or gasp in awe at the rushing river,
or bend to the rhythm of the road.


Instead, she saw the one thing
that is permanently seared into her Colorado memory.
For, the very moment she lifted her eyes,
(right before she rolled them back as far  as she could)


She witnessed her mother raise a fist…
Harley style
to a pack of bikers
as they left the road
before midnight.


Patricia Spreng

Joining the gang at dVerse Poets for Open Link Night... come on along for the ride.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Tangled Laughter

A flower at your grave site 
left me wanting
for your heart side

buried here,
is not the heart
I carry deep
within me

Nine girls and one boy... I'm in the front on left. 1965
longing to stop 
the passage of time
and all
inevitable passings

the growing children
leaving home
and graying years
that cover me

could it be
for just a moment still
where you would sing
and I would mimic your voice

and tangled laughter
would ensue

patricia smolenski  spreng
in memory of my precious mother,  Mary Burkholder Smolenski…
thank you for always bringing laughter, Mom.
1995  With the youngest 12 of her 32 grandchildren!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Regular Joe

He was a regular Joe
tall, bold and black

Filled up with himself
and too hot to handle

Pretending to be real
forgetting he was decaf

He couldn’t smell
her storm brewing


patricia spreng

having a little fun with d’Verse poets on Open Link Night… come and read the wonderful words of poets.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

wake my memory


Click below for a video that's been circulating on youtube... an old man responds to his favorite music...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyZQf0p73QM 

I work for my local hospice agency. So often, people who are suffering from dementia can't remember simple things like, how to brush their teeth, or names and faces... but, they can remember the words to songs once the music starts to play... their feet tap, their heads lift and for a glorious few minutes they are transported....

Wake my memory, Music...
bring me words
to  dance

Hold me in chords
of harmony
that twirl with notes
to lift me
from this chair

My ravaged soul
is quickened
my body racked
with joy

Just bring to me
my music
and my memory
sings again

patricia spreng

Joining with d’Verse Poets .  Come and hear the wonderful words of poets surrounding today’s prompt of “Music”