A Victoria Harbor Night
Nosenipping fresh air
with woodsmoke wafting,
gulls squealing,
trumpet “Lonely Bull” and
bagpipes for pennies.
Foghorns forlorn warning
over whooshing waves.
Fringe Festival,
grunge gaelic,
Tap Tap Clomp
Tap Tap Stomp.
Fluid, free, transfixed
dancing flight of
swanlike arms,
swimming,
swooping,
swirling.
“Have a magical evening.”
September, 1995
© Jane Ulrich
Mom’s Table~
Lavish Legacy
Candles, not confetti,
Pillars, not tapers,
Burning long and bright,
Steady flame, not wavering,
Illuminating shadows,
Making more of night.
Linen, not polyester,
Damask, not just plain,
Richly white on white,
Quiet cloth, not shouting,
Inviting conversation,
Reflecting crystal’s light.
Wine, not frothy brew,
Beef roast, not puff pastry,
Nourished by each bite,
Hearty grace, not stingy,
Savoring abundance
Of mother’s sacrifice.
Sweetest tastes, not fleeting,
Fruits ~ banana, apple, pear,
Ever welcoming sight,
Centerpiece, not silken,
Mothering heart’s sweet home,
Feeding to take flight.
© 2006 Jane Ulrich-Hoppe
My dad always said it was important to ask good questions,
and I think this qualifies, because it is one of those defining questions
that maybe would change the world and one’s epitaph.
It is easy to see how one’s answer to this question
might alter a eulogy, because that is what legacies are made of,
who you were and what you did.
But change this world? Now there’s a worthy question.
Everybody was somebody and everybody did some things.
Not everybody brings heaven to earth.
When people remember me after I’m gone, may they not question
that I enjoyed them and loved being with them doing nothing,
asking nothing of them nor they of me . . .
. . . that I listened and laughed, that I heard with my heart and wept,
that our tears of joy and pain are forever blended with the Lord’s
in the bottle where He remembers and treasures every one.
© 2002 Jane Ulrich-Hoppe
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