Life

At times it does seem like sacrifice with out success. 
At times it does seem like failure without fulfillment. 

But more often than not, it is like flowers in the lunch box.
You carry your meal in an old battered tin box, 
Then when you finally get to lunchtime,
You open it up to discover that someone has
Tucked flowers in the midst of your food. 


Susan Patterson
05-2013

This poem is one of my favorites.  It talks about discouragement.  We all feel it at times.  We think that we have failed or at least not succeeded in the way we had intended.  The lunch box is a metaphor for life.  The meal is what our life consists of.  We carry our old life around in a tin box...or that is how it sometimes seems.  And then when it comes time to look in our lunch box to see what is in there, someone has made it special.  Someone put in a flower, or a note, or an extra piece of candy to brighten our day.  People are like that.  They put things  into our life just to help and to surprise us.  And it most always works.  skp

Happy Thanksgiving to our friends in the United States.   Happy blessings to our friends who are elsewhere in the world.   skp

My First Day of Autumn This Year


Autumn is here.  Finally.  
She came with all the bluster
And might that I craved.  
I could hardly keep my coat on
For all of her blowing.  
The packages battered against
My body as I walked.  Her wind
Strewed branches and needles
On to our cleanly raked lawn
Of yesterday.  Rain followed
And it stayed,   
Hard and heavy.  
Soon it will be cold to match
The color of the sky.  
And darkness will slip in after
Everything else has hit us,
Thus beginning this season
Of spectacle and pride.  
I am accepting her with gladness,
Not because there is no choice,
But because there is no regret.  
And I greet here with as much pleasure
As she has bluster.  


Susan Patterson
09-2013

This poem is for all of us who love autumn.  Yes, there are some of us who do, regardless of the raking, the rain and the cooler temperatures.   There is no deep hidden meaning, no secret message for the ages.  If there were, it might be to greet the present with gusto and with no regret.  But, if that message doesn't apply to you, then enjoy the simplicity of the poem.  Have a wonderful season, look forward to the holy days and keep in touch.  skp

I've been busy the last few weeks doing art shows which involved reading my poetry to people and of course, selling my books.  (Thank you, thank you.)  It's been great fun and I appreciate all of you who stopped by my studio or booth or table.  Sharing my work directly with my customers and followers of The Causerie is a privilege and I never will forget that.  To those of you who showed approval, you made standing behind a table all day long worth while.   Reading one's own work to complete strangers is a risk, to be sure, but I felt safe looking at your smiling faces. 

Now, however we are entering the next phase of writing and publishing the poetry which 'comes in the night'.  We will be changing our website and this blog format to make it easier to read and follow.  We will be considering publishing new poetry.  But in which format?  Do you readers want another beautiful hardback book?  Would you like me to reprint Musings With a Cuppa  in hard back?   Do you want smaller collections in e-format?  For example, would you like a collection of six poems to download for a dollar?  What is your pleasure in reading?  Please let me know, so that we can be efficient in our efforts and provide you with what will work in your life.  Thank you in advance,  skp

Happy color-filled days to you!    skp

The Tantalizing Taste of a Woman


With tea what you get for taste
Is what you choose to brew.
If you select premium whole leaves,
Not ground up bits of dust, then you
Will get a richer flavor that
Will tempt you time and time again.

The qualities of a good woman
Are much the same.
It’s the whole woman you
Should consider, not specks of
This and that which can be
Whisked away like spilled leaves on
The counter board.

Choosing a good woman
May take many tastings and much time.
But making the right
Choice will be, oh, so rewarding
When you enjoy cup, after cup
After cup, after cup.


Susan Patterson
10-2005

Well now.  A reader recently asked me to post more tea poems.  So, I will occasionally put in tea poem in The Causerie.   This one is a little sultry, but there are references to tea in this golden oldie, so there you go.  This poem is about choosing a good woman for your mate.  The writer suggests that one should consider the whole woman and then select a woman of good quality.  Of course one should take his time in the selection process and 'taste' the prospective choice many times.  Yes, this is a sensual poem.  Yes, the metaphor about enjoying cup after cup, after cup could be about sex.  And you can interpret 'tasting a good woman' any way you want to.  Thanks for reading.  skp

▶If your love isn't partial to tea, consider a paramour who is.    Earlene Grey

À bientôt!