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05/27/2026

More "floal" inspiration:
It's about to happen again: Roadside blossoms, fields of wildflowers, fruit-bearing trees exploding with the promise of tomorrow's harvest.
Soon in a washed-out, weed-crowded wasteland,
the Ditch Lillies will make their unheralded appearance.
Ditch Lilies

They grew up on
both sides of the track
Neither one the “right” side.
They competed for sun kisses;
The compassion of angel tears
with the neglected,
the desperate, the rejected.
Their bed is silt of river road
Their voice, the song
of the rasping toad.

They bring grace
And, yes, poetry
to the prosaic
Ragweed garden.
Here Queen Anne dares
to show her lace
Proud Indian paintbrush
lifts his peace-paint face.
Bleached, brown grasses
refuse to die
Wash gully maidens
refuse to cry.

Dare to search with me
in this forsaken place
far from cultivation
this unkempt Eden
Here let us sow
Ditch lily seeds
Wild beauty inspiration
One day will grow
to fire the imagination
and lift child-poet
from hope choking weeds.

jlB-
Copyright: John Lawrence Barbetta
Annual post- 27 May 2026
!bolt! Some of my best friends are flowers.
Some of the people I most admire are "weeds". (jlB)
just"Share what is given" me

05/26/2026

I almost forgot...
Age- Challenge and Compensation:
I'm not talking about Social Security;
though we should not take that for granted.
Think more of a loss/gain analysis.

Challenge: Compensation:
Eyesight issues- Not being able to see that mirror image as clearly
Hearing problems- You can pretend you didn't hear her say:
"Don't do that!"
Mobility challenges- You can take the wheelchair option
through airport security and to the gate!
Dietary restrictions- "I'll have Pasta and Red Wine."
"I'm on the Mediterranean Diet."
Spontaneous physical outbursts- "They told me to exercise more.
Dancing is good exercise." "And
there was no music so I had to
sing, Got a favorite song?
Wanna dance?
Physical attributes- "Yeah, there's a wrinkle here and there."
"Yeah, I gained a couple of pounds."
You should check out my X-rays".
Memory concerns- " Damn! I forgot my dental appointment."
I guess it's this aging thing."
jlB-
Copyright: John Lawrence Barbetta
Analysis Review- 26 May 2026
Pepin, Wisconsin

just " Me making fun of" me
Bet you could add to the list!
Why cry when we can still laugh?😂

05/24/2026

I had a final look back at my notes on Memorial Days past,
and I found this.
A Day of Remembrance:

During our time in the Netherlands,
Sheila and I attended a Memorial Day service at Margraten. I incorporated my memory of that deeply moving experience in a "mission statement" for Emerson College's European Program, Kasteel Well.
Here is an excerpt from
*"Seeds"

There are fifty thousand crosses
between Margraten and Ijsselstein
Stone gardens
Eternally nourished
by our brothers' blood.
We have come
to honor the freedoms
for which they died:
Speech, press, self-determination
and all that enriches a life of liberty.....
A legacy of expression
that encourages respect
for individual differences.
A tomorrow where compassion is
acknowledged as strength,
and humanity's ultimate eloquence is
expressed in the blissful
Silence of lasting peace.....
jlB- Copyright:
John Lawrence Barbetta
Repost- 24 May 2026

*"Seeds" was published in the Eisenhower Commemorative Publication (Eisenhower Centennial Celebration)
Dutch-American Friendship Day, Maastricht, The Netherlands 1990.
Wishing all a day of "togetherness" and reflection.
Walter Reed Army Medical Center Information Specialist,
Founding Director of Emerson College's Kasteel Well European Program.
just "Saluting our Heroes" me

05/23/2026

write now! Getting in Touch.
Touch IT

When you see a beautiful flower,
One that sends a fragrant invitation…
Touch IT.
When you see a beautiful, blushing sunset
One that rewards you for your daytime kindness…
Touch IT.
When you see a beautiful star-filled night,
One that would inspire van Gogh…
Touch IT.
When you see the inner beauty of another,
One smile, one soft unspoken word,,,
Touch IT.
When you realize that these beautiful gifts are You…
BE Touched.
Don’t let go!
You are beautiful.

jlB-
Copyright: John Lawrence Barbetta
Post- 23 May 2026
Pepin, Wisconsin
just " Grateful for the gifts" me

05/22/2026

Spring Magic.
An annual celebration!

Magic makers randomly scatter seeds.
They bloom in places that are mostly overlooked.
They bloom when one least expects blossoms and are often
hard to see. Like at night or in the rain, through cracks in the walk or scars on rocks. Sometimes they are fed by tears; other times laughter. If you are fortunate enough, magic can grow in the rich soil of your imagination. Like a vine, it can reach your heart. Then, you are forever changed. Magic and beauty are brother and sister, sister and brother, inseparable friends.
Magic is funny. Beauty is profound. Together, they evoke amazement and a lasting love of life.
Magic. Beauty. Love.

Gift from an unknown source:
Lupines

She drove early in the morning
Ending her journey as the sun awoke
From the old Chevy truck window
Seeds were tossed.

All along the highway’s
Barren banks
North then South
Back again,
A futile, secret spring ritual
Perseverance, Patience, faith
A random scattering of hope
A delusional dedication to beauty.

Months later, the legacy appeared.
Pastel pyramids springing
Amidst neglected grasses
Surprising, delighting, inspiring.
All those with seeing hearts
Quietly cheered the remarkable art,
The collaborative natural wonder.

jlB- Copyright: John Lawrence Barbetta
Edited post-22 May 2026
Maine journal

We sow our seeds. We have a firm faith
that others may perceive the beauty we envisioned.
just "Johnny Lupine Seed" me See less

05/14/2026

Here's a Return To Sender letter that
I'm just going to send again.
Lately, I've been, well, a little late. Maybe, just persistent?
Dedicated to vintage Moms:
"When we were young, we were more pretty.
Now, we are older and more beautiful." (jlB)

Letter to my Mom:
Dear Mother Catherine,
I miss you; your smile, your laugh,
your sparkling green eyes. I miss your soft touch
and your harsh words to correct my bad decisions.
I miss the smell of love cooking. Your encouraging
"pep talk" when my spirits were down. Like the time
when the girl I asked to the prom said, "NO."
"Johnny, she is a young woman with NO taste. She missed
out on a once-in-a-lifetime chance." Maybe not. Maybe so.
It gave me the faith in myself to find a "YES" lady.
MaMa, I love you. You know all the reasons why. You know
my heart. I give you my love as long as the life you gave me
lasts.
Respect and Lasting Love,
John(ny)

I have no idea of the cost of postage or the zip code.
I am sure of the destination. See you at the kitchen table.
I know, "Be on time!" See less

05/12/2026

Creatively, I seem to be on a Liquid diet...
write now! (unfiltered poetic waters)
Fountain of Truth

Look at your reflected image
See through the ripples
in the reminiscence pool
Is that truly you?
Sometimes jester, never fool.

Close your eyes
that you may more clearly see
Block out sound
Listen to our timeless song
From liquid tongues it spills
Sing what you hear
"Love banishes fear."

Feel the time-cleansing spray
renew innocence and hope
Shout "YES"-Today!
Touch me
Touch you
Open inner vision eyes
that you may see anew
Yes, that is you.

Tears melt years
Stand side by side
White shirt groom, pristine bride.
This is who you are
This is who you will always be.

I reflect the beauty
of your blossomed souls
You have not discovered
The Fountain of Youth
You have rediscovered
Your Fountain of Truth.

jlB-
Copyright: John Lawrence Barbetta
Edited post- 12 May 2026
Pepin, Wisconsin
"New eyes with which to see the familiar."
just "Truth/Youth seeker" me me
Share my Muses? Visit # Villa Bellezza, Pepin, WI
or Saddlebrook Resort, Wesley Chapel (Tampa) FL See less

05/06/2026

Worth waiting for? Let it flow!
"You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water." (Tagore)
Awaiting

I am the puddle
After the spring shower
Awaiting the laughing children
shrieking, splashing, dancing
Until...
I am one with mud shoes,
Soaked socks.
I am the brook
Swelled by sudden summer rain
Gurgling to the farm pond
Awaiting the sun and frolicking children
free from the demands of school,
the regimens of responsibilities
Wading, swirling
Until...
I am one with wet locks,
beaded brows.
I am the lake
Fed full by brook, spring, stream
Awaiting the emboldened risk takers
to make that first dive,
To swim in waters more deep
Celebrating the next step:
Until...
There is trust in self and nature,
I witness through rainbow-coated eyes.
I am the river
Artery of the sea
Awaiting the adventurer
to follow the uncertain course
Holding breath, gasping air
Sustaining an irrational faith,
Destiny must reward instinct.
Until...
I am one with spray
nourished hearts.
I am the ocean.
Swelled by rain
Fed by brook, stream, river
All life-giving waters
Awaiting all the innocent, undeterred
Until...
All insatiably curious
Life seekers are One.

jlB-
Copyright: John Lawrence Barbetta
Edited post- 6 May 2026
Liquid thoughts of a world in balance.
just "One More In Waiting" me- You?

05/05/2026

I share one more "Liquid Secret":

...Music is in everything
Listen to the brook
You will hear it singing
Wind dance with the trees
Butterfly waltz with the flowers
Thunder percussion
Then the time-tapping showers.
Music is in Everything.
jlB-
Copyright: John Lawrence Barbetta
Dialogue/Song from "A Different Drummer"
Children's Theater of Maine
Remembered, Resung- 5 May 2026

05/04/2026

Lightly filtered inspiration from fountain, lake, river, ocean.
Liquid Secrets

Wet whispers in my ear
Liquid secrets
Only I can hear
Make heart smile
My spirits float
You are the River
Imagination the boat.

No helmsman to guide
I drift back in time
Minutes are years:
A baptismal splash
to banish hereafter fears.

Pure water lake tempts
Fearless first dive
Sea-salt wave ride
Lifts sense of self-pride.
Holy, sweet, bitter waters
Prove I’m alive!

Vital liquid secrets
Droplets of mist
Wash away pain.
My dream of the rainbow
Sun dancing with rain
Blend present and past
I hear your secret
“Live in the moment.”
May shared joy last.

jlB-
Copyright: John Lawrence Barbetta
Edited post-4 May 2026
Pepin, Wisconsin
(Mississippi River Muse)
just "A bridge over talking waters" me

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Minneapolis, MN

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