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Never Time to Spare

—a villanelle

My daughter, I am watching you with love for I’ve been there,
When dishes overflow the sink and books are everywhere,
When everyday seems just the same with never time to spare.

I see you take a breath and smile and separate a pair
Of toddlers who are arguing about what isn’t fair.
My daughter, I am watching you with love for I’ve been there.

When you have been up all night long and it’s not time for their
Nap but it is time for yours and no one seems to care.
And every day seems just the same with never time to spare.

I see you pacing with a baby as your shoulder-wear
Trying to outlast his colic and avoid despair.
My daughter, I am watching you with love for I’ve been there.

I see you give your body and your heart and all your share
To love your family with a love that is beyond compare.
Though every day seems just the same with never time to spare.

Your children will arise someday and thankfully declare
“This blessed mother is to me a royal beauty rare.”
My daughter, I am watching you with love for I’ve been there.
This day is for eternity. There is no time to spare.

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Dandelions

I’m pretty sure the Maker made the bright
And golden heads that turn to blowy seeds
(Those which the grown-ups thoughtlessly call weeds)
For children who will find in them delight,
As no one scolds them when they stoop to glean
The dandelions to their hearts’ content.
A child’s time out in nature is well spent,
For his Creator’s wisdom he will reap
As sunshine sows his soul with parables
So truth and beauty grow. He has no guile.
His chosen fruits are gifts that he can give
When little fists with flowers become full—
He bursts with joy and as he offers, smiles.
For goodness sake let dandelions live!

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Gigi Ryan is a wife, mother, grandmother, and home educator. She lives in rural Tennessee.

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10 Responses

  1. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Gigi, I love your wonderful heartfelt poems showing a mother’s love and then appreciation for the delight of children in dandelions. Such poems reveal the heart of a caring soul.

    Reply
    • Gigi Ryan

      Dear Roy,
      Thank you for your comment – I am glad you know they are heartfelt. They both were written from experience, as you can tell. When my grandchildren bring me a bouquet of “weeds” my heart melts!
      Gigi

      Reply
  2. Warren Bonham

    Both of these are great! Mono-rhyme is tough but Never Time to Spare flowed exceptionally well. In addition to what you have noted, Dandelions can be used to make both tea and wine with a unique flavor profile, and alleged health benefits.

    Reply
    • Gigi Ryan

      Dear Warren,
      I have used dandelion herb for myself before. I have yet to make dandelion or any type of wine yet…maybe someday.
      Thanks for commenting!
      Gigi

      Reply
  3. Mark Stellinga

    Hi Gigi, I’m betting you meant ‘a’ breath – not ‘and’ breath, in the line Roy’s referring to. (??) I’ve had to ask Mike to edit pieces and even replies of mine more than once. Regardless, it’s a very touching & mem’ry-evoking piece all around – ‘Granny Gigi’. And I’m definitely with you on dandelions, but – thanks to my wife, ‘the meticulous gardener’ of our personal property, not ON our lawn! 🙂

    Reply
    • Gigi Ryan

      Thanks, Mark. It looks to be corrected. (So, thanks Mike?)

      One of my best memories of early motherhood was my toddler ringing the front doorbell to give me a handful of crushed up daffodils. Back in those days when there was “never time to spare.”
      Gigi

      Reply
  4. Maria Panayi

    Dear Gigi
    I have enjoyed reading these lovely poems and share the heartfelt sentiments.
    I am sure you do more than watch , I am sure you are there to help when most needed. The love in the poem shows that that is a given. Every young family needs grandmas and grandpas.

    Reply
  5. Marc Hanson

    The last line in “Never Time to Spare” was precious. “This day is for eternity. There is no time to spare,” made my tummy flutter. The entire poem was lovely and rang true because it came from the heart and not the mind. Bravo.

    Reply
  6. Paul A. Freeman

    ‘I see you take a breath and smile and separate a pair / Of toddlers who are arguing about what isn’t fair.’ Yep! Been there, too. I’m not the greatest fan of villanelles (probably because I’m not good at them), but yours reads so smoothly and so truly. Fabulous.

    I appreciate the serious message behind ‘Dandelions’. In these times when Man is condemning the Earth’s flora and fauna to the way of the dodo and the passenger pigeon, we should all take a breath and realise that ‘His chosen fruits are gifts’. As children we are so in awe of Nature, yet as we grow apart from the natural world in our cities, we forget its importance.

    Thanks for the reads, Gigi.

    Reply

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