Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Forgiveness?

I tried to winnow out
Life
Abashed with ways to change the past
Blind
Because the past is what defines us
Good
Bad
How we cope with difficult things
Forgiveness
For ourselves and others transgressions
Survival
We cannot change the hurts
Forgiveness
But still the sufferings
Hurt
From those we love
Hide
Within our consciousness
Burning
Brightly in our dreams
Haunting
Forgiveness still on our lips
Forgetting
Not going to happen
Burning
Deep inside the cycle

Continues
Pretending that all is alright
Lingering
In consciousness burning bright
Hurting
Still hearing the words
Cutting
To my soul
Again
And 
Again
Time to forgive
©Sheilagh Lee August 31, 2016

Monday, August 29, 2016

Unfair


Another year
Another sigh
I miss you still
I often wonder

Why, why?
It’s so unfair
To miss my big sis
Year after year
And more unfair
That you can’t see
The children you left behind
Their children are so cute
One of them reminds me
Of all the good in you
But for now
I’ll look at her
And smile because
She’s a little part of you
Left behind
To remind us
You were here

And we loved you.
We do still!

Happy Birthday Debbie

©Sheilagh Lee August 29, 2016

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Louisiana

Explore southwest Louisiana,
 A fertile swath of swamps,
Bayous and rolling plains
People friendly and kind

Step into a mixture of voices spoken
French with gliding vowels so honeyed
Zydeco music fuels the blood and sizzles the soul
Delighted your feet move unbidden
To button accordion, and fiddle guitar.

In Lafayette, the Blue Moon, honky-tonk in open air
Dance nightly, or eat of traditional Cajun,
Randol’s hall a giant pine dance floor,

For historical family experience step back in time,
To fifty eight years ago, La Poussiere Cajun Dancehall,
in Breaux Bridge, Saturday and Sunday nights,
Ages eight to eighty dance to the fiddle.

On Saturday morns they flock to Mamou,
Fred’s Lounge’s doors arrive before eight a.m.
Or pay the price of wedging through the door
To hear 18th century French songs
Dancing mandatory, no two-stepping allowed

Festivals four hundred throughout the year
In towns and cities in Louisiana
Fill the need for Cajun, zydeco, jazz, country, and blues.

The foods exotic “chaudin,” or stuffed pig’s stomach
Boudin sausages and Boudin balls, brown bag of cracklings
At the Best Stop market in Scott,

Olde Tyme Grocery has shrimp, catfish, barbecued ham, poultry,
But the po’boy stuffed with crunchy fried oysters is best
St. Martindale’s southeast of Layfette to St. John,
Tasty dark roux seafood gumbo with fried alligator entices will delight,

At Prejean’s restaurant tempts fried or grilled alligator
Gumbo, combining crab, shrimp and crawfish.
 Their signature dish catfish Prejean,
Battered, fried catfish slathered thick, spicy shellfish stew

Steve n Pat’s Bon Temps Grill allures
With pork chop stuffed with spicy, heavily smoked pork, and apples,
Terrific grilled shrimp with a Worcestershire-tinged cream sauce
Set over jalapeño-spiked grits is another culinary delight.

Daiquiris Supreme drive through is a tasters’ joy.
Two dozen varieties to choose
But no driving and drinking with one still

The night draws to a close
The moon wanes and sighs
Morning has come as the sun rises
Café Du Monde in New Orleans beckons 

Beignets and coffee for all day
As powdered sugar drips
From your fingertips
Bidden to your mouth
As you drink in the sounds
And bustle of New Orleans
Peace surrounds your soul
Life is slows to a even keel
In Louisiana you feel
Like a long lost relative
You've found home

©Sheilagh Lee August 4, 2016