the view from the wrap around porch

porch swing white
property green
air warm
skies serene

messy kitchen
wooden floors
high ceilings
open doors

spinning bikes
muddy halls
pattering feet
bouncing balls

trust in God
warmth of a man
sound of guitar
satisfied clan

emptying me of myself

I think I'm going crazy going crazy
sitting here sitting here
I'm going crazy sitting here doing nothing

Nothing with my heart
nothing with my mind
nothing with my time

I'm going crazy not knowing
where to go
where to seek
where to live this life

I'm
I'm
I'm emptying my mind
emptying my life
emptying my heart of myself

I'm dumping all these dreams
desires
wants
longings
dumping them into a pile
and sweeping them out the door

I don't need them anymore
because God has something else in mind
He has something else
something wonderful
something marvelous
something I could never dream up

All these dreams I have,
who do they benefit?
Me, selfish me
And even then, my dreams aren't that good for me

God knows what's good for me
And He's got it all in line
He's got it all set up
So I can stop going crazy
going crazy trying to plan out my life
Because who do I think I'm kidding?
I don't have half as good a plan as God does

Vibrant Ruby

I wake up and grab my thick socks from the nightstand before letting my toes hit the chilled wooden floor. I cross the bedroom in two solid steps and enter the narrow hallway. In the kitchen, I heat up the skillet and whip up a quick egg. Fried with the yoke broken. Just the way I like it. A chime rings through the air and a piece of toast jumps up just in time. I sit at the tiny four-top, legs crossed under me on my chair, and I look five stories down to the cobblestone pathway. People are already buzzing about outside. My heart does a jumping jack and I rush into the extra bedroom. I had renovated the minute guestroom into a walk-in closet last autumn. Let’s face it; I have more clothes than I do overnight visitors. I push aside department store racks of pants, tank tops, summer dresses. Flipping on the stereo, I rummage through my wardrobe, the sun from the window joining me in my quest. I find the pair of denims I was looking for: dark, slender, just crisp enough to look more chic than the pair you wear every day. Twirling and fluttering around, I put together an outfit that perfectly fits my feathery and cheerful mood.

Pausing to look in the full length mirror, Coco Chanel’s words dash into my mind, “When accessorizing, always take off the last thing you put on.” I pull off the red and gold headscarf and shook out my long curls. Perfect.

I step out of my apartment and chirp good morning to the single mom that lives next to me who just returned from taking her youngest out to the playground at the nearby park. I decide to take the stairs as I glide a vibrant ruby across my lips.

My forest green heels hit the stone path and I lift my face to the sky. The sun kisses my cheeks and continues to hug my back as I mosey on down the street toward the marketplace. The delightful fragrance of fresh fruit stealthily captures my attention and I purchase a juicy pear from a vendor. Slurping on my treasure, I slip past bustling, talkative groups of people and pick up a pound of hazelnut coffee beans and a big orange ribbon. My lips form a smile as I imagine my neighbor putting it to use and needing the extra boost to help her out on those early morning park adventures. A little skip finds its way into my gait and my smile broadens even more as I look forward to the rest of this joyous day.