‘Never Time to Spare’ and Other Poetry by Gigi Ryan

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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 and 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.