Yesterday’s Lilac #elderlyissues #aging #atozchallenge

Hold me…

I am a broken, colorful

fragrant remnant

of yesterday

*

Remember me…

when I was alive, thriving

extracted from a beautiful

whole

*

Understand me…

for who I am today

a relic, don’t pull me

to pieces

*

Cherish me…

for what I was

what I am and what I might

still be…

Yesterday… whole

pieces… still

I pulled this drawing and poem from 2011 archives.

They speak of the heart and I think the heart of the elderly is so fragile yet so fragrant like the lilac.

No one wants to yield to old age and all the symptoms but we have little choice.

As the days grow to a sepia, let’s remember to relive yesterday with our dear parents and family members. Let’s love them for who they are today.

One of my clients a very talented musician and educator told me recently that she had been invited to tea with a world leader. And yet in all her recollections her moments now are the sweetest and she has contentment.

Art:  “Fragrant Lilac” 2012 L. Moon Designs

 

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Uncovering Needs #elderlyissues #atozchallenge

I have found that working with the elderly is like digging for treasure – I am never disappointed with what I find.

There are times (especially with dementia) that we must uncover their needs or what makes them happy.

Every person has things that have meaning. It could be an activity like going to the market and remembering days gone by. With one client who was almost bed bound, I realized there were certain activities that gave her energy to get out of bed.

I first noticed change when a neighbor stopped in for a short “hello.” My client was upbeat the rest of the day.

The neighbor had brought flowers so we spent time thinking of something nice to do. We baked cookies and my client wrote a card.

The next week we made valentines for her son and her husband. Wow I noticed color in her face.

What I uncovered was she liked doing things  for people.

It’s also fun to uncover things about a person that maybe no one knows.

Here are some ideas to mix up their day and keep it interesting:

Writing his/her memoir

Writing cards to friends

Drawing/ coloring

singing together

Folding laundry ( I have lovely conversations with my clients when doing chores)

 

How have you been keeping things interesting during the Co-Vid “Stay in Place”???

Great people to meet in the A to Z challenge:

Keith is a good writer with clever themes. Expect excellence: https://keithsramblings.net/

Frédérique at https://quiltingpatch.blogspot.com/ is a talented artist who I have enjoyed getting to know

Lee is  a lady whose poetry engages the reader: https://ladyleemanilablog.wordpress.com/

Arti is a wonderful crafter of words:
https://artismoments.blogspot.com/

Draw Me #poetry #art

 

it just takes one line

followed by another

color  then some more added

and a smile or two

give me a long neck

or a furry mane

four long legs or short

will have to do

teach me to draw

show me to paint

clay in my fingers

don’t want to wait

look at the sky

God’s daily design

 something fluffy and blue

that catches our eye

 

 

When you think of art you might say “I can’t draw?” Why?

It’s more a block in between your mind and your hands then you realize.

Children create more easily because they haven’t acquired the “hang up” of success. They just “do.” You are never too old to learn how to draw, paint, sculpt and there is no grade at the end either. So try a creation done by you. You may find that you enjoyed it and want to try another.

All the years I “did” art I was afraid to try portraits. While my artist mother can still teach me I am trying to learn a little about portraiture and practice!

I hope you’ll try something you’ve never tried before.

No Comparison #art #nature #poetry

I tried to draw a rose today

but noise and life got in the way

my pencil finally took control

what it drew I hardly know

“it’s good I guess” I tell the pad

 I sniff the scent of rubber band

I tried to draw a rose today

crumpled paper, thrown away

*

rare beauty

inhale, no bottle can hold

rose succulence

Flowers can cheer a frown into a smile. Poets United knows this well and so the prompt this week is Flowers!!!

Going Deeper #art #photography

ballet

fountain

hinge

gate

 

 

Look deep

art for the eyes

pencil interprets

The WordPress Daily Post Photography Challenge this week is Depth

Photography to enjoy:

Empire of Lights

This That and the Other Thing (Janet)

Castelsarrasin (Sandra)

Ese’s Voice

Jim Holroyd 365

Lin’s Doodles

Broken Doll #haiku #drawing

the childless woman,
how tender she is
to the dolls!

© Ransetsu (Tr. Blyth)

 

It’s a gorgeous haiku full of compassion for this woman without children. He sees her taking care for the dolls as were they real children. How much pain and sadness this woman will have had as she couldn’t have children or maybe she had children, but they died … it’s not clear.

Use your  imagination to see this scene in front of your eyes and try to write/compose an all new haiku following the classical rules:

+ 5-7-5 syllables
+ a seasonword (kigo)
+ a cuttingword (kireji, in western mostly interpunction)
+ a moment as short as the sound of a pebble thrown in water
+ interchangable first and third line
+ a deeper meaning

porcelain skin

name chosen years ago

afraid she will break

 

Afraid she will break

name chosen years ago

porcelain skin

****

Kigo I would choose is “porcelain” as it is represents a white frailty like the coming snowflakes

The Kireji would be “break”

Inner meaning is something the reader finds but for me this represents the woman and the child. The woman has tried for years, having miscarriage after miscarriage. The child awaited for (or perhaps in the womb) is fragile, tentative…

This is in response to the prompt at Chevrefeuille’s Carpe Diem.

I Can Dream… #haiku #poetry #photography

Reach through the window

Put on my finest dress

Separate worlds

******

The prompt at Carpe Diem is “I dreamed I was a butterfly”

cho kiete tamashii ware ni kaeri keri

the butterfly having disappeared,
my spirit
came back to me

by Wafu

Strawberry Memories #haiku #art #poem

missing you

fresh early morning scent

strawberry fields

**

several meals

red happy faces

dessert for breakfast

**

succulent juice

white cream on top

moon smiles

 

 

Strawberry is the Chevrefeuille’s Carpe Diem prompt for this weekend. What strawberry memories haunt you?

I grew up with berries in our back yard. We had huge fields of strawberry fields  behind our house when I was raising my children – so many memories of fresh strawberries.