DeeDee• Show poetry

Reflections of my past, present & future.

I was raised in Los Angeles & moved to rural, small town Tennessee 10 years ago, can you say CULTURE SHOCK? When I first got to Tennessee I was ready to turn around and go back home, now I am happy to call Tennessee home. I live on one of those small country roads that is barely wide enough for a motorcycle to drive down, let alone my big old truck. I have several acres of land that I am grateful to own. This is a good thing because I have 11 dogs who appreciate the space. I also have a 19 year old cat named Cassandra, A yellow collared macaw and a parakeet. My house is small, but it is mine and I spend most of my time out in my Zen Garden anyway. This garden is off my back deck and is my sacred place, a place for all my writing, songwriting, short stories & poetry. There is nothing like sitting in my Zen garden watching the deer come out of the woods, listening to the birds singing, my waterfall splashing, drinking a cup of coffee in the morning and writing a new song or poem. That is unless it is early evening and I have the cast iron fireplace lit and I am sitting out there having a beer & writing. This is my peaceful place, my quite place, a place where I can let any worries or troubles of the day vanish from my thoughts & view. .

If my old friends from Los Angeles could see me now they would wonder what happened to that wild woman & all her crazy antics. I think I would have to tell them I am finally at peace.... Don't get me wrong, I said I was at peace, don't confuse that with being dead, I am far from that. I can still stir things up and get a little crazy, but I am finding that there is a side to me that appreciates & welcomes tranquility. I still March to a different drum, that will never change, but I have added a few more strings & acoustic guitars to slow down the pace a little & balance things out.

My children have been the greatest teachers in my life. I learned love from my children; I mean the pure, unconditional, trusting kind of love. My sons have shown me just who I was as a person and my reasons for being here today. To see the world through a child’s eyes is the most spectacular sight. The magic they brought into my life has always been my greatest joy. They were and always will be, the ultimate source of pride & wonder in my life.

I don’t believe I have written or am I limited to one kind of writing style. However, I do favor rhymes, so I tend to rhyme in a lot of my poems. I write what I have lived or have known, things that have touched me deeply, as most poets do. I also write songs & music and have performed several times in small venues. Although I love to sing and play my guitar, I really do not like playing in front of crowds more then 2, so playing at these venues pushes me to the very extreme. I break out in a cold sweat, my breathing becomes shallow and my fingers stutter when changing chords. I never liked being the center of attention an all eyes on me kind of girl, so to perform takes all the strength and courage I can pull together.

I left home at the age of 15, I can say that my mother was not the loving kind. I roamed the streets getting my best education in down town Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. I learned long before I left home how to be tough and take care of myself; so the streets of L.A. were actually my college of sorts. After several years I decided I wanted more in life, so I went back, got my diploma and put myself into a nursing program. I worked on the human side of nursing for a few years while volunteering to work with AIDS patients. After my 1st husbands death at 29, I felt I needed a change, so I became a Veterinary Nurse & Wildlife Rehabilitator. I love animals & have been blessed to be able to say that I got paid for doing something I truly loved.

My boy’s, animals, music & poetry are my life, to me it doesn’t get any better then that. Music is my passion I could not imagine life without it. Some of my favorite bands & singers are… Etta James (my all time female singer), Christy Moore (Irish Balladeer), Toni Braxton, Gordon Lightfoot, AC/DC, B.B King, Dean Martin (love his voice), Black Sabbath, John Lee Hooker, Eddie Grant, Wendy Rule, Iris Dement, John Prine, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Queen, Thor (this goes back to the 70's) and his album "Keep The Dogs Away." Bob & Ziggy Marley, Billy Squire, Andy Williams, Paul Kelly, Kasey Chambers, Vern Gosden, Dire Straits, Jake Owen, The Clash, Clutch, CKY, Simon & Garfunkle, The Steeldrivers, Delbert McClinton, Bad Company, Secret Wars (my oldest son’s band), Late Great Planet Earth (my youngest son’s band), Marshall Tucker Band, Eddie Grant, Muddy Waters and Bob Dylan. I love most music, I also like anything that gets me out dancing. This lady still likes to rip it up on the dance floor.

My favorite quote is by Mahatma Gandhi “Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes” ( I have made a lot of those.) Two other quotes I try and live by are by; Les Brown. “Shoot for the moon and if you miss; you’ll land among the stars,” and “Life has no limitations, except the ones you make.”

There are many poets out there that I absolutely adore, E.E.Cummings, Edgar Allen Poe, T.S. Elliot, Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Shakespeare, but I must admit the works of Ogden Nash are some of my favorites. They are fresh, light hearted and get me laughing at life. There are also a couple of poets on All Poetry that have touched me with their poems as well. They are both awesome writers and the stories they tell just blow me away. They know who they are or at least I hope they do….!

Let me ask how many of you have had the great pleasure of meeting someone on line that you just automatically clicked with. I am not talking about just as an Internet friend, but someone who was like you in every way. A person who has lived your life from childhood, teen years, to adult. I met that special person on here. She is a gifted writer, a strong woman of courage, strength, wisdom, passion & warmth. I am grateful to call her my friend and sister of the same soul, which is different than soul sister. If you have not had the opportunity to read the vibrant, passionate, honest, enlightening works of Doreatha (Gypsy Via Orleans) then please get acquainted, you won't be disappointed.

These two poems were written by Ogden Nash (I just love them)
“CELERY”
Celery, raw
Develops the jaw,
But celery, stewed,
Is more quietly chewed.

“The Turtle”
The turtle lives 'twixt plated decks
Which practically conceal its sex.
I think it clever of the turtle
In such a fix to be so fertile.

Thank you for taking the time to read my poetry and for commenting as well. I respect constructive criticism and welcome it, but that doesn’t mean that I will necessarily change my poems or words to make it better sounding to you. We all write what we know, what we feel and is in our guts, so to change something to what someone else believes sounds right or makes more sense to them, makes it no longer our feelings, thoughts, words, etc.

I am happy to be a part of All Poetry and being part of the the fabulous group of poets that have taken up residence here. You amaze me with your talents, openess & creativity. I am in AWE.......!