“Chaos and Destruction”

 

            As the world around us blows up with intentional chaos and destruction, we cope in different ways. My husband and son, both artists, pull canvases onto easels and tables to create in quiet determination. Their banter stays light and hopeful as vibrant colors splash and play into their extremely different pieces.

            When not painting, my husband helped me with assembling a large galvanized steel raised planter for my huge aloe and its pups. We built something small, and positive, and controllable. My hands in soil, I planned ahead to winter’s inevitable freeze with promises of insulating hay and heavy freeze blankets protecting these plants.

            We counter chaos and destruction with creation and propagation. We narrow down our days to whatever comes from our hands and hearts. 

Copyright 2025 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

"Puddle Reflections"

           Rain pounded our roof a couple of nights ago with a rhythmic beat that lulled me into a deeper sleep. Our parched earth must have sighed in relief as the water fell. At first, the soil sucked the moisture below the surface, a dry sponge soaking in every drop. As the rainfall continued, the water began to pool into puddles. With morning light, small mirrors decorated the ground. These miniature ponds delighted me as they symbolized satisfaction. Our Mother’s thirst sated after months of want.

          One small puddle near the back door, which translates into muddy paw prints on my carpet, made me smile instead of groan. A little mud after our months of drought seems a small price to pay. I keep my fingers crossed that the grass that once grew in this spot returns with the spring (and possibly more rain.)

           Nature offers her interpretation of sky and leaf. The littlest things life provides, like unexpected puddles of rain, refresh a flagging spirit. The promise of Spring rests with each pooled drop.

         The sky and trees reflected by the shallow rainwater brought me joy. The night's storm left the leaves shimmering and clean, a natural baptism. The inches of water resting upon our Mother represents rebirth in the weeks to come.

Copyright 2012 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

"A Rusted Tub"

 

The Burren Perfumery, County Clare, Ireland--September 2010

         The Burren Perfumery snuggles at the end of a winding road used more by cattle than cars. Even at the end of the flowering season, its gardens hold delightful surprises for the idle traveler. Somehow, among the endless expanse of rock, nature takes root with riotous blossoms, feathery ferns, and ivy clinging to mortar and bark.   

          A narrow footpath takes the wanderer into sunshine standing shoulder high. To the right, the soft morning shadows shelter fern precariously clinging to stone.

           Meandering leads to an old rusted bathtub filled with blossoms and promises. I wonder about bathing in flowers and moonbeams in this mystical land.

Copyright 2012 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

"Mind Set"

  

Mind set   

upon happiness   

delighting in summer rain   

a quiet day   

or numbers adding up   

a gooey piece of cheese pizza   

soothing wine   

or a crazy dance of joy   

or following a rainbow   

Mind set   

upon contentment   

a long, lazy nap   

a canopy of green leaves   

or a perfect rose   

starlit nights of lovemaking   

or a song carried on the wind   

the passion of our love   

or a single, simple promise   

Mind set   

Copyright 2012 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

"I Want to Give You the World"

I want to give you the world  

with its promise    

with its pleasure     

with its plenitude   

I want to give you the world      

without the doubts    

without the debt   

without the desperation     

I want to give you the world   

with its splendor   

with its sunrises  

with its surprises    

I want to give you the world     

without the worry      

without the weaknesses     

without the wantonness   

I want to give you the world    

with its hope     

with its humor     

with its happiness     

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

“Summer Plans”

 

Responsibility drags me from comforting quilts out into the sodden world.    

My shoes, rain soaked by puddles, encase my feet in cold and damp.    

The air conditioner chills my bones.    

My attention drifts to the large wall clock and fixates on the second had tick-tick-tick-ticking away. 

I escape.  

I nurture thoughts from deep within and retell yesterday’s tale with intuitive creativity.        

My first draft practically perfect.    

My thoughts stir up summer’s lazy mornings and conjure long, hot days filled with writing.   

Two months to drench myself under a waterfall of words.     

 

Copyright 2015 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

"I Want to Give You the World"

 

I want to give you the world 

with its promise    

with its pleasure    

with its plenitude  

I want to give you the world     

without the doubts   

without the debt  

without the desperation    

I want to give you the world  

with its splendor  

with its sunrises 

with its surprises   

I want to give you the world    

without the worry     

without the weaknesses    

without the wantonness  

I want to give you the world   

with its hope    

with its humor     

with its happiness    

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

"Insight"

If they hurt you by their thoughtlessness

            Don’t forgive

If they forget to say, “We care”

            Don’t excuse

If they break all of their promises

            Don’t condone

If they make you feel guilty

            Don’t endure

If they place the blame on you

            Don’t accept

If they make demands upon you

            Don’t embrace

If they break your heart

            Walk away

Copyright 1995 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

 

"Mind Set"

Mind set   

upon happiness   

delighting in summer rain   

a quiet day   

or numbers adding up   

a gooey piece of cheese pizza   

soothing wine   

or a crazy dance of joy   

or following a rainbow   

Mind set   

upon contentment   

a long, lazy nap   

a canopy of green leaves   

or a perfect rose   

starlit nights of lovemaking   

or a song carried on the wind   

the passion of our love   

or a single, simple promise   

Mind set   

Copyright 2012 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

“Jealous”

 

            Jealousy should best describe my blog right about now—if it had any feelings. My preoccupation with another major writing project (a novel) means I’ve shifted my blog to occasional musings and reposts of poetry.

            Even I find myself worrying about my neglectful ways. I follow several other bloggers who write on a set schedule. They post once or twice a week with diligence. Then I read others who compose and post daily. I did a daily challenge when I first started blogging because writing gave me something to look forward to during the long days of caregiving. I sat with pen and spiral close at hand, scribbled down ideas or wrote short pieces. Some days, a movie or TV episode would capture Mom’s attention for as long as fifteen minutes to half-an-hour. Long enough for me to quickly type up an entry. Some days found me lingering at the keyboard after everyone else went to bed just so I could have a post ready for the next day.

            I carry a little guilt with me on the days I abandon my blog for the plotline of the more involved story. I dally all day in riveting dialogue, or playfully wallow in the luxury that comes from creating a longer, more involved piece of writing. I love the new challenge of researching a particular time period and weaving those details into images for potential readers.

            I don’t forget my blog. It lingers in the back of my mind. Some life event will occur, and I’ll think, “Oh, I need to write a post about that!” Or one spectacular autumn morning after another greets me, making me long to pen a new poem.

            And so today I opened a blank page in Word with the intent of writing something absolutely amazing, or wonderfully witty, or dramatically dazzling. Instead, my mind drifted to the careless disregard I’ve held for my blog, the friend who steadfastly saw me through one of the most difficult times in my life.

And I find myself pledging to spend a little more time with it than an impulsive visit on a lazy morning. I don’t want to turn into that friend who pledges to “get together” but never arranges a visit, who plans lunch out then cancels, or manages forget that rendezvous at a favorite bar for evening drinks. I don’t want to my words to hold empty promises. And so today, I make my intentions clear and known to all (well, all who take time to stop and read). I will take time out at least once a week to visit with my swing in a tree.

 

 

                                Empty, but not abandoned, Swing in a Tree

 

Copyright 2013 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

“Mind Set”

Mind set   

upon happiness   

delighting in summer rain   

a quiet day   

or numbers adding up   

a gooey piece of cheese pizza   

soothing wine   

or a crazy dance of joy   

or following a rainbow   

Mind set   

upon contentment   

a long, lazy nap   

a canopy of green leaves   

or a perfect rose   

starlit nights of lovemaking   

or a song carried on the wind   

the passion of our love   

or a single, simple promise   

Mind set   

Copyright 2012 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman