Category: Poetry

Sarah Jane Pennington— is the pen name that Ronna Fay Jevne has chosen to use when creating her poetry.

  • The Silly Well

    The silly well

    I was a child once.
    I did silly things and laughed a lot.
    Things were fun and fanciful.
    I was a child once
    with no concern
    for grown up things.
    I just loved to giggle.

    In days past
    I drew buckets
    from the silly well.
    The silly well once flowed
    with jabberwocky words,
    raucous laughter,
    and ceaseless joy.
    Like the fields
    sprouting with tender shoots
    after the monsoons,
    the silly well
    overflowed with love
    when I sang out of tune,
    when nonsense was the orchestra.

    The draught of decades
    has left me parched.
    The well of silliness is dry.
    I no longer see fairies dancing on daffodils.
    I no longer hear orchestras in the forest.
    I no longer imagine magic carpets
    carrying me to Camelot.

    How sad
    the spring that fed the silly well
    has found another channel.
    How sad
    it no longer gurgles with giggles.
    No longer bubbles with unreasonable bliss.
    No longer charms the child within.

    I miss the silly well
    blessed with the silly spell
    that made life lighter.
    Made hardship livable.
    Made strangers, friends.
    Made mountains into molehills.
    Made tedium into adventure.

    I miss the silly well.
    You see –
    To go to the silly well
    you must take a friend.
    I cannot go
    to the silly well
    alone.

                                                            SJP

  • 11.9. A hole in one

    A hole in one

    I love a hole in one.

    That delightful unexpected

    rare hole in one.

     

    I love a long putt

    when gravity defies the odds.

    Sinks the one I think I have missed.

     

    I love the green

    that lies like carpet

    waiting for my brilliant putt.

     

    I golf through life

    aiming for a hole in one,

    wanting success with little effort.

     

    It takes a driver,

    one focused swing

    for those long fairways.

     

    It takes a wedge

    to chip my ball

    close to the flag.

     

    It takes a putter

    for that last little nudge

    before success.

     

    So it goes in life.

    One club won’t do it all.

    Every stroke counts.

    Avoid the out of bounds.

    Be cautious in the rough.

    Play the game fairly.

    Sarah Jane Pennington              

  • 10.10. If I moved in the world.

    If I moved in the world

    If I moved in the world

    with the joy of a child,

    the kindness of a monk,

    the gentleness of a falling leaf,

    how would I walk?

    What would I see?

    How would I live this day?

    It would matter not

    the pace of passersby,

    the clutter of storefront windows,

    the noise of nothing talk.

    I would stand in the busyness,

    grounded in love

    and smile.

    When I break bread

    I would give thanks

    with every morsel to

    the farmer who grew the wheat.

    The miller who ground the grain,

    The baker who shaped the bun,

    The driver who drove the dolly.

    I would notice the tulips

    in colors painted by God,

    asking me to remember Easter.

    I would notice the sun streaming

    onto gravestones of those I loved

    asking me to remember

    the gifts that are mine from them.

    I would sit quietly

    on an old tree stump,

    throwing peanuts

    onto the forest bed

    and laugh

    as the squirrels scurry

    without so much as a bow of gratitude.

    I would walk slowly

    with a lightness to my step.

    I would feel the earth

    rise up to greet me.

    I would meander

    like a gentle stream

    through a summer’s meadow.

    If you come with tears,

    I would listen.

    If you come with pride,

    I would listen.

    If you come with anger,

    I would listen.

    I vow to listen.

    My voice will be gentle.

    Without words

    you will know that I care.

    You will see me strain

    to understand you –

    To know the you, you are.

    I would sit in stillness

    quieting the chatter between my ears.

    I would sit in solitude

    knowing in aloneness,

    the “I” that is “We”.

    I would sit in silence

    hearing the joy of breathing.

    Sarah Jane Pennington

  • 10.9. First snow

    The first snow

     

    The first snow

    fell softly,

    one flake at a time,

    so quietly

    even the leaves

    stopped whispering.

     

    By daybreak,

    the postcard was painted.

    I want to utter every word,

    think every thought

    as gently as the brush

    that stroked this winter canvas.

     

    I want the landscape

    of my life

    to be quiet

    and beautiful.

    Sarah Jane Pennington

  • Poems by Ronna

    Tomorrow: Poems will be posted from Ronna’s repertoire of amusing common life situations.