My heartfelt thanks to all who contributed to our third hometown community poem. We have poems representing many states, countries and continents and are all testaments to the fact that Passions in Poetry covers the globe with poetry and friendship.....may it always be so.


****************************
~*MARGE TINDAL*~
****************************

Home Is Where The Heart Is
     
Six years ago, I followed my heart
From my home on the Green Swamp, I did depart
Came back to DeLand, the fair city of my youth
Hoping to find that there is truth
     
In home is where the heart is~
Renewed a friendship from the past
That I hope will foreverly last
My guy, Bill, and I have found a way
To make love last ... foreverly and a day~
Home is where the heart is~
     
Two precious grandie girlies came to be
Delaney Makay and Landry Leigh
My heart so full of the love for them
Love truly overruns the brim
For Home is where the heart is~
     
DeLand is a town of arts and dreams
One that fits so perfectly it seems
With my love of creative poetry in flow
'Out of the Whispering Winds' now published
Blew me as far as I needed to go
Home truly is where the heart is~
     
This Poetigraphic Haven is what I have found
That continues to make my world go round
Knowing that the Lord-Of-My-Knowing
Set my feet on the pathway that I'd be going
This home is where the heart is~
     
Home IS where the heart is
May it ever be so~

*****************
***HOPE***
*****************

Australia True Blue

Find the various landscapes
Mixtures of scenery
From dry plains of the desert
To rainforest greenery

Blue and snowy mountains
To the golden sand
Breathtaking in all its beauty
Over a vast wide land

Those shearing shed yarns
Spins Aussie true blue
From the city to the outback
Of traditions and new

The unique Australian fauna
Koalas and kangaroo
There is the Tasmanian devil
Platypus and potoroo

From state to state to territory
Visit the tropical isles
It is proudly a sporting nation
With outdoor lifestyles

Have dampers and billy teas
Or a Aussie barbeque
It is all Fair dinkum Australia
Downunder true blue
Let me share my journey
Bring you a scenic view
A drive along the coast
By the Indian Ocean blue

The white sandy beaches
Stretches mile after mile
Friendly dolphins play
Their faces seem to smile

Stop awhile at the marina
Visiting the beach cafe
Watch waves rolling in
Surfers enjoying their day

In-between city and ocean
My home minutes away
As my day finally ends
Sunset glows over the bay

Here in Western Australia
With sand, sea and surf
Relaxing is the liftstyle
In this beautiful city Perth


********************
MARGHERITA
********************

Where I breathe and live*

Though I often dwell upon white cumulus clouds
to gain an overall glance at our Earth and beyond
every now and then I succumb to the need to land,
after all I think life in the Eternal City isn't too bad.

As I risked to freeze back in my lovely hometown
where awe-inspiring mountains reflect in the lake,
destiny signaled it was best for me to go southwards
to a warmer place located at the center of the world.

And indeed here I touch and breathe universality.
People from the whole world come for sight seeing,
Art created over some millennia surprises the eyes
and infinite monuments display history all around.

Pine trees provide the necessary oxygen and green,
the blond Tiber flows through the town peacefully,
sun and moon rival in enhancing the touch of magic,
here you are not supposed to walk, but to dance!

Young and old equally dynamic bring this town to life,
Eternal, she almost always sings from dawn to dawn.
To some it may seem noise, but to my ears it's music
for within this constant humming I'm never alone.

And when I need a rest you already know what I do
I keep my feet firmly in the air to indulge in dreams.
Real freedom here is perceived like nowhere else,
Open mindedness allows each enough breathing space.

I am happy and grateful to live in this unique place
for here more than elsewhere I feel God's presence.
*****************

**************
MYSTERIA
**************

VANCOUVER, B.C. CANADA

Western Canada boasts of my Vancouver’s beauty
With her towering mountains, and boundless treed skies.
Where wild colors riot, all species of birds do enchant,
Warm breezes of prodigal summer here never dies.

My Vancouver takes a lifetime to get to know,
Her endless mountains, rivers, lakes and plains,
All offer such peace and serenity in life
Anyone visiting just raves of their gains.

Here tall cedar trees sway in a light ballet
A warm breeze whispers you down a forest path.
The sea itself waltzes in and out of our shore,
And then lazily ebbs out again in sun’s bath.

A wild, raging sea snarls at our worn shores,
Biting away and it worries our sculptured land,
Where Cyprus trees, deep-rooted, gnarled and tough
With leafless boughs proudly, and defiantly stand.

Oh Vancouver, I love your sounds and scents,
Such color so rich to the eye I can boast.
Here every day of life is offered up as a gift
All around us, nature is our gracious host.

Trees bright green against mountains dusted with snow,
Sing of the springtime now delicately being weaved.
Naked branches show the miracle of life renewed,
As the magic of spring is now being conceived.

In winter, my home can be gray, and dismal with rain.
We’re all so relieved when springtime does appear.
Glad to be free to just sit by our shores,
And soak up sun by the ocean we hold so dear.

If I sound proud when I speak of my home,
It’s because it is here I’ll always stay,
Surrounded in beauty day in and day out,
I only live once; so I’d have it no other way!

****************
SANDGRAIN
****************


Where I live
by Rae Petersen

A snapshot of our country/city mixture
Traffic jams are still unknown here
Highways close for our parades and
Road signs warn of crossing deer

Sycamore, the DeKalb county seat
Boasts stately old homes to discover
Jack-o-lanterns on our courthouse lawn
Before “Pumpkin fest” is over

Our giant dining room window
Lets us view two miles beyond
Traffic on two thoroughfares
And fields of golden corn

Glimpsing at snow’s melting blanket
Four robins caught my eye
As squirrels played tag in our big maple tree,
Spring blew a kiss bidding winter, “Goodbye.”

Somehomes, like ours, on our court
Sit on spacious double wide lots
People die to move in behind us
In a quiet cemetery plots

Classifiedsfor computers, donkeys,
Laying hens and antiques
Corn mazes, stage plays, goats and hay
Whatever anyone seeks

Shops and box stores of every kind
Eateries and gas stations abound
NIU, in DeKalb, is nearby
We’re an ever expanding town

************
TRILLIUM
************

Let There Be Eagles

Above the lake called Coeur d'Alene,
That for countless years has lain
Within the land and hearts, indeed,
Bald eagles come each year to feed.
We hear them scream and watch them soar,
Plunge and catch a fish before
They find a roost in some tall tree,
Where they will dine on kokanee!
For several weeks they linger here.
Large cruise boats come to bring us near
The spectacle, so we can share
This winter scene, both wild and rare,
Where eagles perch along the shore,
Before they rise to dive once more.
They come to hunt so they will thrive.
We come to keep our dreams alive,
That this fair lake will always be
A place of natural harmony.
Will enter in each future plan
Affecting feathered friend and man.
In any changes that we make,
Let there be eagles and the lake!

*********************
TITIA GEERTMAN
*********************




This is my land,

West-Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, The Netherlands.



Area of almost forgotten nature,
small villages, no industry, farmer's land,
combined with old creeks, reed in all sorts,
hares hopping around.

and there's silence...

One can hear the silence,
if only you listen.


Looking around, you see one third land
and two thirds of sky,
where an artist shows his skill.
Each day, every hour, sometimes in minutes,
he expresses his coloured mood.
Happy, sad or even raging anger.
I love them all.


This is my land.
I wasn't born here, but I should have been.
There must have been a piece of plastic
covering the soil, which caused me to search
for another route to emerge.


I think it has been removed, because
I feel my roots growing on this spot,
where I shall live and die

************
RONIECE
************


Invercargill New Zealand



My hometown Invercargill
Some say is the aaahhs hole of the world
(sorry Ron, but that’s what they say)
But to me it was where my life was spent
Haply being me and loving every minute of it
Going on picnics to the river with my family and others
Hanging out on the big blue bus in our street
With the gang of four
Dressing up in my older sister’s clothes
And sneaking out the front while she came in the back
Eating fresh oysters and crayfish that my Dad caught
Knowing everyone in our street by the sound of their cars
Making friends easily
And laughing daily at my grandad’s jokes
Riding my brother’s new motor bike round the back yard
And crashing over the wall ending up in the vege patch
Having parties that lasted the whole weekend with family and friends


This was a slice of my hometown
purely from a one eyed perspective though…

***********
MAGGIE
***********

Snowbound Maniacs

As the winds squeal it's gusty blow
diamond crystal dance on crusty snow.
The frigid air takes us by surprise
when we venture outside and open our eyes.

Teardrops freeze upon our face
and icicles form with much disgrace.
The sight is blinding, white all around
nothing but piles of snow abound.

Fourteen inches predicted every other day
adds up to, too much already.
In northern Maine we have broken the record amount.
In 1955 of 181" to March 2008 186.3" at lastcount.

We feel it's an never ending season
of frozen pipes and hibernation.
When will we feel relief, we ask,
for all of us snowbound Maniacs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

***********
MARSHA
***********

Mushy Land

Kentish hops, and strawberry fields spice the air
In the county of Kent in old England fair
Maidstone the town and Parkwood the place
That is where Mushy now shows her face

At the University of Kent at Canterbury
I spend many of my days in deep study
No time to watch the River Medway flow
Or to feel the gentle breezes blow

Cherry blossoms flutter down on me
When I walk beneath the cherry trees
And whenever I sit reading some poetry
I hear the voices of PiP’s calling out to me

If I listen carefully I can hear your names
Whispering words that tell of poets fame
And I want to cast my books to left and right
and spread my wings in fantasy flight

But I’m learning my craft, honing my ear
So that my writing will be fine do you see my dear?
And so until I can write as well as you do
I’ll stick to studying through and through

It is hard not to rest in PiP’s lullaby land
Or for me to sit at your right hand
But sometimes when you least expect me
I’ll come and visit PiP’s, all poets true country

************
BEASLEY
************

     


Sunrise on Cheboygan shore.
I couldn’t ask for something more
Lovely in the spring and summer,
But winter’s here are quite the bummer!



The roadside park is where I write
Beneath the rising, golden light
Of the sun where shimmers make
A path across the Huron Lake.



And Mackinaw, just down the road,
Another story can be told
Of how the bridge connects the land,
How it was built; how it was planned.



Many visit our Great Lakes.
Weather here is what it takes
To close our own McDonald’s down
‘Cause winter in the Big Mac town



Is icy, bitter, frigid, too
As cold winds freeze the lakes of blue
But snowmobilers all delight
In depths of snow that blankets white



The golden little tourist town.
I wouldn’t want to live back down
In the city, far away.
Cheboygan’s where I want to stay.


***********
2DALIMIT
***********

Wide open spaces
and brand new faces
My Texas



The state of my birth
where I filled my girth
Fifty seven years
with laughs and some tears
From Aransas Pass –
Corpus Christi next
From C.C., t’was grand –
Galveston, Island
Then, two thousand eight
with new course on plate
Left Texas


Shook my head ‘Oh man’
voted off island
“Company” saw fit
told me “change my zip”


Hello Mobile
I’ll be here awhile
MY ALABAMA

************
BONNIE J.
************

A Story of Toledo, Ohio
(I live on one of the Great Lakes, the one called Erie)

Winds from the North East would come a roarin’ in from the
Great Lake called Erie.
Flooding the land leaving behind mud and dead fish.
But as a kid I loved to see that water a comin’-
Because it meant being able to ride the streets with our bikes and
having a splashin’ good time.
Now we have a break wall a keepin’ that ole lake back, but I still have the fond memories
of childhood days.
Many a time I go sit at her banks and listen to her sounds.
Just sitting in quiet contemplation.
Flipping through my loving book of memories.

We are known for our glass products, The Glass Capital of The World, and the rugged
Jeep manufactured in 1941.
Our zoo and art museum are first class-
Famous some may say.
We can be high-brow with our Toledo Symphony and the Toledo Ballet.
We can swing into Murphy’s and listen to top notch jazz.
If you are a hankerin’ for an out of this world Hungarian Hot Dog. Try our family friendly
Tony Packo’s.Jamie Farr or Klinger from MASH would
highly recommend this famous eatery.
I was watching PBS the other day-
Watching how the High Level Bridge was made and how they advertised her beauty with
dancing girls dancing upon her lengthy sidewalks.
Fascinating.

I could go on and on about this city called Toledo, but I guess I'll get back to looking out
the window and putting into words of what I see and what I hear.
Winter has been long and hard this year
Always shoveling, salting.....but beautiful.
Spring is in the air.
The snowmelting into the ground to bring the resting roots of beauty to life.
The cry from a bird I do not recognize.
It looks like a Hawk.
As I step outside a new baby Dove is sitting on the steps learning to fly.
Daffodils peeking out from the leaves of Fall.
The air... fresh as the morning dew.
A smile coming to my lips-
Spring is on the way.

Hope you enjoyed your trip to Toledo, Ohio.
You are always welcome in my garden of serenity.
I have chairs in the garden and a hot cup tea with warm biscuits a waitin’.
Welcome.
Bonnie J.

*************
EFFJAYEL
*************

John, Paul, George & Ringo
The official home of the Queens lingo

The Albert Hall, Fish & Chips
Cricket, Football, Mick Jagger’s lips

Rule Brittania, God save the Queen
(And Heaven forbid, Mr Bean..)

The Red telephone box & Black London Cab
The Country’s oldest shop (now owned by an A-rab)

The London Palladium, Scotland Yard
Wembley Stadium, Rolls Royce cars

Hand pulled Bitter, Cheshire Cheese
Gary Glitter, (Oh Pulleeze...)

Aintree Racecourse, Auld Langs Syne
H P sauce, Fog on the Tyne

Highland Glens, Mountain Streams
Moorland Fens, Fields of green

Majestic castles, stately homes
Ancient ritualistic standing stones

Lakeland hills, Irish Lochs
Daffodils, Scotch on the rocks

From John O Groats to Lands End
This my Pip friends, is England....

**********************
NAKDTHOUGHTS
**********************

New Freedom, PA

I've lived here over 30 years
so this is home to me
and fighting still, to keep it mine,
in this economy.

Though building up these last few years
with prices on the rise,
the neighbor state sends more to us
than we should realize.

They come here for the quietness
of farms and country homes,
with very little crime at best
and openness to roam.

New Freedom was a crossing line
back during the Civil War.
An hour centered between Harrisburg,
Lancaster, and Baltimore.

And to the west is Gettysburg
where Lincoln took his stand.
New Freedom, still a comfort town,
in this unsettled land.

In the middle of nowhere,
sometimes that's how it seems.
A railroad trail to walk or bike
while thoughts turn then to dreams.

Two taverns and a mortuary,
a quick stop store for gas.
No traffic lights, yet, in our town.
But churches six en masse.

A place to live forever,
in my century plus old home.
Open-minded 'cept for sure
I never need to roam.

***********************
JOYCE JOHNSON
***********************

Paradise

From my front window on this day
I see a flock of swan.
They winter in our valley
But soon they will be gone.

From dining room, past cedar trees
The tulip fields are seen,
In April robed in glorious bloom
Now dressed in rows of green.

A blue heron across the way
An eagle in my trees,
My farm is proudly hosting them
As well as birds and bees.

Tall mountains in the distance,
A big river rolling by
In the center of such loveliness
No one more blessed than I.

As seasons change so does the scene
As plants grow and mature.
The farmers harvest, plant again
Their fortunes to secure.

Next spring perhaps, the daffodils
Will raise their heads of gold
Or iris, or potatoes will
Be what my eyes behold.

It matters not what crop it is,
I've rented out the farm.
Whether produce, grain or flowers,
Fertile fields are filled with charm.

***********
TOERAG
***********

Alabama Springtime


You should see my mountain,
there's beauty everywhere
It's down in Alabama
A site beyond compare.

Leaves of many colors
God's splendor in the air,
Nature's glory showing
For all of us to share.

Chameleon's can change color,
Lilacs turn to blue,
Spring brings out how nature
Can change to glorious hues.

There's little that compares
To what our eyes can see,
It can't be purchased anywhere,
That God gives us for free.

Kodak cannot reproduce
The colors that he'll show ya
Nor a box of simple crayons,
Offered from Crayola


But also out my window
As I gaze and peer
There's our buddy we all know
The poet Balladeer

And like the other scenery
The memory's quite lasting
All these little,poor old ladies
That Balladeer is flashing.

**********
ALISON
**********

Alaska, My Home, Alaska
(Acrostic)


Alaska, vast expanse few will ever know
Land hidden under dark nights and snow
A gem, disguised, that time has passed on by
Seas, lonely, wearing the color of the sky
Knife-edged mountains with jagged peaks
All fall silent when the aurora speaks


More than black oil that flows like gold
Years of legends old prospectors told


Hoards of birds nest among the rocky tor
Open tundra offers wealth in store
Many reasons to love this Great Land
Ever precious, fragile, in human hands


A vacation spot so many come to see
Lofty Denali rising majestically
Awe-inspiring horizons, colors blazing
Seals lolling on beaches, eagles gazing
Keeping their distance, animals hide
Alaska, makes my heart swell with pride

*******************
GENTLE SPIRIT
*******************

My home has winding rivers and mountains green
it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.
Sometimes it’s pristine white with untouched snow
simple sunrises are seen under an Eastern glow.


Tree tops blow to and fro softly in the breeze
and the winds carry a tune that is sure to please.
Roads wind on and around for miles and miles
and there are friendly faces to share a smile.


The Susquehanna flows by, singing her song
while rolling on past, steady and strong.
Mother Nature seems to have touched this place
with charm and peacefulness that man can’t erase.


There’s no doubt why it’s nicknamed God’s Country.
Pennslvania has been, and always will be, home to me.


*******************
EARTH ANGEL
*******************
Hidey-Ho!
Off we go!
To T-O-R-,
O-N-T-O!

Home of Argo's,
Home of Jays,
Home of Raptors,
Hip! Hip! Hooray!

Diverse cultures,
Add spice to life,
A blend of colors,
With palette knife.

The art is fine,
At A-G-O,
Master painters,
Of long ago.

The dinos roam
The ROM at night,
Ancient mummies
Hold secrets tight.

Toronto Islands
For family fun,
Shops and rides
For day in sun.

Office buildings
Reaching high,
The CN Tower
Touches sky.

Casa Loma,
A castle grand.
Fountains, flowers,
Grace its land

The Science Centre,
Where learning's fun,
There's much to do
For everyone!

The cycle paths,
Along lake side,
There's lots to see,
And joy to ride.

Playgrounds safe,
Where children play,
Clean water parks,
For fun and spray.

Restaurants fine,
With haute cuisine,
And burgers, fries,
For fast-food scene.

The Toronto EX
At summer's end,
Games, food and rides,
Shops, shows, and vend.

Nathan Phillip's
Is the Square,
Where people skate,
Have fun and fair.

St. Lawrence Market
~ Produce galore,
Fresh meats and fish
And so much more!

Stage plays, ballets,
And operas too,
This cultural city
Offers much to you!

Festivals, fairs,
And grand parades,
Lake shore walks,
Down promenades.

Sandy beaches
And water sports,
Picnic tables
And tennis courts.

Gardens, parks,
Flowers, trees,
A beautiful city,
That's sure to please!

Downtown shopping,
Suits every style,
From haute couture
To rank and file.

So, Hidey-Ho!
Off we go!
To the capital city
Of On-tar-i-o!

*********
DENISE
*********

Outside My Garden Door

Tranquility, though small the piece may be
Amidst the urban chaos, it is mine;
A deed so states; this is my property;
My privacy is closely kept by pine,
A fence that lets me view the clouds and sky
And tips of houses, nothing more or less;
A juniper is home for friends that fly;
This is my favorite place, I must confess;
Gazeboes, tiny, hang upon each post
Awaiting bright new flowers come the Spring
The season of the four I love the most;
Rebirth begins and causes me to sing
Reminding me that death is not the end
But lends itself again to life anew
It is a truth on which I can depend
To part the clouds and bid the gloom adieu.

For all life’s clamor I have found the cure;
It waits for me outside my garden door.

(c), Denise Corbley Snyder

**********
NAN
**********





Cape Cod’Sonnet

Outside my window time and tide roll on,
Caressed by breezes on a sandy shore,
In waves that beckon as they drift along,
One’s days spent here could never ask for more.

As mere imprints of yesterday remain,
And visions of tomorrow from their berth,
The ebb of tide defines each frothy grain,
Adorning sands of Cape Cod’s harbored girth.

Each flush of twilight’s dusk yields blush of dawn.
Sweet songs of seagulls resonate the sky;
Melodic echoes of the trumpet swan,
In tides of days the decades pass on by

I revel in the beacon on the shoal
To light my way through untold season’s stroll.