A Walk from the Sea

By Laurel Lorraine Lancer Ph.D.

This is a collection of poems written by Dr. Lancer over many years. The topics are varied. There are chapters about nature, people, one on the golden years, one about fairy folk, and there are two chapters devoted to poems for children. These Dr. Lancer wrote when she was teaching poetry writing to the gifted and talented students and, later, students in grades 3 through 5 with interest in creative writing. There is one chapter devoted to copying the format and rhyming styles of famous poets. The rewrites are often of different topics than the original but more updated and often humorous. Dr. Lancer is also a painter and has included a painting with an accompanying poem to head each chapter.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Jan 27, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490722344

Laurel Lorraine Lancer Ph.D.

Dr. Lancer has her degrees in regular education, special education, college teaching and psychology. She has worked for several school districts and supervised student teachers that were doing their internship in numerous school districts in the metro area of the university. Her information for the book came from numerous friends and associates that were teaching in various grade levels, school districts administration positions, state education departments, her students, parent contacts, and many people that she worked with over her forty two years of teaching and additional years of volunteer work. Dr. Lancer has two children and is retired. This is her second book about education.

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© Copyright 2014 Laurel Lorraine Lancer, Ph.D.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4907-2233-7 (sc)

978-1-4907-2234-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014900528

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Table of Contents:

SHOES-SHIPS-SEALING-WAX

CABBAGES - KINGS

THE SEA IS BOILING HOT

PIGS HAVE WINGS

FOR MY KIDS

MORE RHYMES

FOR CHILDREN

JUST MAGIC

CLASSICS - REWRITE

GOLDEN YEARS

MY PEOPLE

HOPE ETERNAL

Dedicated to -

My own children: Kimmie and Konni

My sisters: Diane and Evelyn

My grandchildren: Channing and Angelise

And some Best Friends: Joe, Joyce, Rick, and Ruth

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge the assistance given to me by my family and friends in listening to my endless poems. They were patient and seemed to know that if I called I might want to read something to them that they might not have time to hear.

I do appreciate the time and efforts by my editor, my precious daughter Kimberley Johnson. She was so diligent in going over my text and issuing corrections where they were needed, and giving very inspirational suggestions in the context.

A big thank you is earned by Channing Johnson who designed the book cover and did some final editing and corrections in the manuscript.

I WILL greatly appreciate the continued friendship of both relatives and friends who remain friends and are supportive of me after reading some of my more deranged and/or politically biased poems in this collection.

The paintings/ illustrations inside the book are mine. My artist signature is Spute. My art website is: www.sputefineart.com.

Introduction

Such great luck was mine to be born into a family of poets and poetry lovers. My grandfather wrote poetry in most of his spare time. He had a brown leather notebook where he placed his typewritten poems. Poems actually written on a typewriter! After his death my mother gathered any of his poems he had not put into the notebook, and those in the notebook itself, and had them published in a book called My Old Tobacco Box. She gave a copy to the local library and one to each of his children and grandchildren. My mother wrote poetry also, and both she and my grandfather belonged to a poetry society that had a weekly broadcast on the radio. This was long before the internet or even television. Both my mother and grandfather were readers on this radio program where weekly messages were given and they both were the featured poetry readers. When I was in my early teens, my mother asked me to write a poem for entry into a poetry contest. She had noticed my interest and ability with the rhymes as a child. The poem did not win, nor did hers. That poem and one that I wrote at age twelve are both in this collection. My mother always read aloud to her four children as we were growing up. Poetry was always included. When I became an adult with my own offspring, I continued the family practice of reading aloud to my two daughters. They, in turn, came to love poetry. My oldest, when only age eighteen months, was taken to Florida on vacation. She walked upon the beach and recited Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Sea Side. She said the entire short poem, quite an intellectual feat at the age when most children are just beginning to put words into sentences. My youngest daughter wrote her first poem at age three and one-half. This is her poem:

God has given me love.

A little child walks from the sea.

And when God leaves,

Someone takes care of me.

I have used part of the second line for the title of this poetry book. This book is dedicated to those noted on the dedication page and also to the memory of my very literate and talented mother and my very wonderfully poetic grandfather.

Laurel Lorraine Lancer

Shoes-Ships-Sealing-Wax

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Vacant House

The old house stood on a small hill,

All its occupants gone,

Save some birds in the dark attic,

From the eaves, comes their song.

Many windows are broken out.

Chipped away is the paint.

There’s a woman in the window,

Her image - oh so faint.

Spirits haunt the old broken house,

It’s said they come and go.

From the visions that they give us,

They lived here long ago.

This used to be a busy home.

Family frolicked about,

Kids in the yard, Mom cooking meals,

Laughter, sometimes a shout!

It now is still, only the birds

Enjoy its ambience,

While in its walls, the spirits roam

To stay its sad silence.

Wares

Can I sell you a little poem?

The small ones cost a tear.

The longer, more egregious ones

Are: nightmares for a year.

I have a tiny cheerful one

I’ll barter for a smile.

Or one filled with just some whimsy,

Fee: thinking just a while.

And I have some silly nonsense,

Worth a giggle or two.

A few with some far deeper thoughts,

Price: contemplation due.

I bet I can embrace your style,

Find one you might think wise.

Just look inside, peruse awhile,

There’s one just for your eyes.

Poet

Did you ever write a verse?

And was it difficult to do?

Did you ever wish to say,

In words unusually new,

The many things from wise men’s lips

And make them born of you?

I wish to write a lovely thought

And fill it with wisdom too.

But have no loveliness of which to think,

And profound thoughts do not accrue.

Shoes

Sonnet bought herself some new shoes,

The heels, six inches high,

Thick puffs of feathers on the toes.

She’s already tall, you cry,

And she is thin and gangly too,

She now looks extra tall.

Wobbles with stilts up there so high,

It seems like she will fall.

Older Janet wears lower shoes,

The heel just two inches.

And they are one size larger now,

The smaller size just pinches.

But still they have a dainty flower

That settles on the toe.

Her second pair, two inches too,

Has a small silver bow.

Darlene, with years, grew heavier.

Her shoes must now be flat.

They’re lovely ballet-like slippers.

She’d wiggle as she sat.

This pointed out slender ankles

And made her feel demure,

While keeping her stride some easier

And balance more secure.

Helen, with walker, moves slowly

And has athletic shoes

To firmly hold her to the turf,

So balance she’ll not loose.

These shoes are not so feminine,

So her neckline is down.

She has large breasts that take your eyes.

New focus she has found!

Poor Betty, in her Roundabout,

Came back to pretty shoes.

She lost some pounds and goes around,

New fashions she can choose.

With new slender legs and ankles,

She dresses oh so fine.

And all the folks admire her clothes.

Great shoes again - in time.

Ships

Carnival Cruise sailed for Santa Cruz

With hundreds on her deck.

They packed fine clothes, did not suppose

This ship would ever wreck.

Electronics are demonic

And so things went amiss.

The heat and lights went out at first,

More failures did persist.

The large ship floated aimlessly,

Distressed folks on the deck.

They couldn’t bathe, or shave, or cook,

Passengers were a wreck.

No movies, fancy dining, and

No bathroom trips were made.

The ship stood still waiting there

For help to come and aid.

Meanwhile sad passengers lost hope,

Vacation plans did fade.

Sealing Wax

When my dad sailed to India

He brought me back a seal.

My initial to press into wax,

My letters