Writing Wins and Woes: Sundries

The old fashioned way. Typing.  The other day I was  talking to one of my best friends and she mentioned the word sundries. She thought it was a cool word and I did too, so I’m stealing it for my blog today, because it is all about sundries.

My first Sundry is this poem I wrote about my Grandma. It was written a long time ago in memorial of her life. She was always laughing and smiling. She had 12 living children and still managed to laugh. If I had that many children my laughter would be from insanity.

I wrote two poems about her and this was the second. I am sharing the first one also.

This poem reminds me of the importance of family. I love Christmas but when I lost the person I loved, Christmas did not seem so appealing. In fact, it was downright depressing. I’ve found this to be true not only with death but when someone I loved moved away. I had a hard time finding any joy in my life after that.

So those are my first two sundries. My next sundry is good news and bad news. The good news is my fairy tale story about Sleeping Beauty was accepted at Enchanted Conversation. Yay. I’m so happy to be getting good news.  Because last week I got bad news. Although my story for Daily Science Fiction had been short listed, which is truly amazing, it ultimately was not picked. They added a little note to the rejection, A difficult decision. It made me feel a little better, but it was still hard.

My third sundry is my story for Guardian Angel Kids is in the June issue. It is also about grandmas, so it fits in well with this blog post. My poem talks about angels in Heaven and the story is about angels and grandmas. How cool is that? With writing, you have to take the good with the bad. Although I was disappointed and it had me depressed thinking about my story for Daily Science Fiction, I just told myself that there will be other opportunities. Keep on keeping on.

Text of poems:

Christmas without Grandma

Christmas without Grandma

Seems more than I can bear;

The something special about

Christmas is that

Family is always there.

Christmas without an evergreen tree

Would be so very sad…

But Christmas without Grandma?

She’s the only one I had!

Christmas without presents

I wouldn’t really miss;

Besides, I’d trade them in a moment

For the warmth of Grandma’s kiss.

Christmas without stockings

Hanging in a row;

Christmas without holly

and leafy mistletoe…

Yes, Christmas things are lovely,

As lovely as can be;

But lovelier far is the sight of

My dear Grandmother to me

I know Grandma wouldn’t trade

The blessings of her resting place,

But I’d trade all the joys

of Christmas for a glance

at Grandma’s face.

Oh, the angels up in Heaven

Are the luckiest of all,

Because at Christmas time in Heaven

They’ll be hearing

Grandma’s call!

****

Grandma’s Smile

I see Grandma’s smile everywhere,

I see it in a winter’s night,

Or in spring’s day so fair.

I see Grandma’s smile everywhere,

Her features are so fine!

I see them in a sunny day,

And in the stars that shine.

Sunny, laughing daffodils

Can’t match her laughing face

I hear her bubbly laughter

In every kind of place.

Grandma’s face was always

So sweet, so kind, so good;

Grandma had just the kind of laugh

A Grandma always should.

She always brought some sunshine

Into every dismal day.

You didn’t question how or why,

Because that was Grandma’s way.

I see Grandma’s smile everywhere,

In flowers, lakes and trees.

Grandma was as soft and sweet

As a cool and gentle breeze.

Many things I miss about Grandma,

But some things I’ll always see.

Grandma’s laugh and her smile

Will always be here with me.

By Shari Lynne Klase

In loving memory of Sara Kriner