The Response of a Recluse
Upon Being Asked Out
 
I whine and snivel and
Purse my lips and
Wrinkle my nose
And wring my hands
And say I cannot and
Wish I did not have to
Go where you’ve asked me to go.

I look away and fiddle with my thumb
And pretend I do not hear, and
Then I hem and haw
And try to think of
All the ways I might not,
But there you are again,
Right in front of me, asking still. 
 
Then, I am pleasant
And take the risk.
Being out
Was not the dread
I’d imagined. 
In fact, it was right and
Good
And I am glad.
But, now my worry is…
Will I be
Asked
To go again. 
 
 
Susan Patterson
10-2013
 

The winter holiday season is over.  Some of us are happy about this.  Others of us are sad.  Either way, the time is now to move ahead to the next trip of our Earth around the sun.  What will happen in the next seasons?  What will make us happy or sad?  We surely do not know.  Thank goodness!  Best wishes for your happiness in the next seasons.  Your poet, skp 

❄️❄️❄️

The above poem, The Response of a Recluse Upon Being Asked Out,   can be found in our latest book of poetry, Unnoticed Moments. 

You can buy Unnoticed Moments and other Susan Patterson books at:

www.EarleneGrey.com

Why not buy a couple copies for friends?  They will love you for it!  Of course, you will get free shipping and an autographed copy.  Can't beat that! 

❄️❄️❄️

Emmanuel
 
Christmas is Christ time.
God is with us.
Emmanuel.
 
That the Spirit is here
To guide and to help
Is clear to me and to you.
 
Since this is so, let us not be troubled.
Nor be anxious, nor be fretful.
Ever.
 
Let go of worry. Have Christmas Tea.
Remember that God is with us.
Gloria.
 
Gloria.
Hallelujah.
And Hallelujah again.

Susan Patterson
12-2003

Emmanuel is a powerful word meaning God is with us. What a comforting thought.  In these times, actually in all of human history, we have clung to this idea.  Some believe.  Some do not.  It is not ours to force our ideology onto anyone else.  That is how wars start. Each human has to decide his own conviction.  I have to say however, it is much nicer to believe.  skp

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Surely, It Is
 
It is Christ Mass time. 
We throw rocks and worse. 
 
Thousands of suns and moons
We have stood on this Earth.   
 
Thousands of years to learn,
Yet still we kill and worse. 
 
Is it not time?
 
Is it not time that we
Listen and hear
A higher call? 
 
Is it not time that we
Find a better path?
 
That we speak
Even a civil tongue?
 
Some have already begun.
Is it not time
For all? 
 
 
Susan Patterson
12-2012

Here you have a simple little poem with a complex message.  Or is it truly complex?  Might it be an easy effort for we as a specie to simply to start being civil?  Difficult to know.   skp

Merry Christmas to all of our readers! 


If you would like to purchase any of Susan's books for Christmas, simply go to:

www.EarleneGrey.com

When buying books from the Earlene Grey company direct, you will get the very latest editions with the latest in illustrations and verse. 

In addition, you will find books at reduced prices, free shipping and you can also asked for the books to be autographed!  How cool!  Shop direct from the author.  You won't be sorry.  🎄

Not a Total Loss
 
Each of us has the ability
To help humanity grow.
This is true because
Every once in a while
We do things right.
 
Every once in a while
We take in a stray.
Love the wretched.
Care for the weak.
Give a little grace.
 
Every once in awhile,
We bend a bit lower
To raise the bar
Just a little higher.
 
Every once in awhile,
We get things right. 
 
 
Susan Patterson  
12-06

As you can see, I wrote this poem ten years ago.  It is still one of my favorites, and I often quote the last line.  Now it is Christ Mass time again.  We think about how to take care of the poor and feed the hungry.  We ponder about living better lives. But, I believe this year is different.  To me, it is a particularly important time in human history, possibly even a turning point.  More than ever...if we are able...we must work together and make peace. Can we not make the world a better place for all living creatures?  Now more than ever.   skp

The Enough of Christmas
 
It’s Christmas time and everyone is a wreck.
We’ve gifts to make and friends to greet,
Food to serve, wine to store.
And maybe, even snow to sweep.
 
Christmas cannot wait.  It must be done.
It must be made.  Its importance not passed up.
Oh, my Lord. So much.
So very much. Too much.
What is one to do?
 
Find a kind soul.
There are some that you know.
Make a cup of tea, nothing more.
Then enjoy Christmas,
With a gift of appreciation
And not a garish show.
 
 
08-06
Susan Patterson

 
The Start of Something Right
 
It was the senior year of university,
Before the beginning of crowded class.
He sauntered in, full of confidence,
Ready for all the good things of life.  
He sat down next to her on the floor.
 
His curly hair was like an old mop
Which had be used too many times.
The scars that he bore did not show,
And his eyes, bright
As the summer’s best day,
Teased with sparkle when
He spoke to her. 
 
“What are you reading?” he prompted.
“Why do you care?” she snipped.
 
That was the start of their play
Together.  The start of days
Of abandon to avoid
What others would consider
Eminently urgent.
 
But wait, wasn’t
Venturing off to make love
Eminently important as well?
 
Yes, I dare say it was.
 
 
Susan Patterson
09-2016 
 

Oh, the years in college.  Sometimes they were the start of good times.  Sometimes they were the end of good times.  One may never know which is actually which.  Happy days to you, our wonderful readers.  skp

Are you a lover of all things tea?  If so, then you must have a copy of Musings With a Cuppa~The Poetry of Tea.  This is the classic book of tea poetry.  It is funny in a tongue in cheek sort of way.  It is sometimes a bit saucy.  And yes, it is sometimes serious.  Why not buy a copy for yourself and a copy for your friends. 

If you would like to purchase books, simply go to our website, www.earlenegrey.com.

If you are having an event and would be interested in wholesale prices, email Susan Patterson at susan@earlenegrey.com

Delight for the
Seemingly Unimportant
 
Most people don’t know it,
But the little joys are enough.
An extra undershirt to
Keep you warm at night.
 
Shoes that fit,
Tea that is hot,
A peaceful view,
A clean table.
A good lunch,
Flowers to notice,
A hand that is near,
A glance that reassures. 
 
There is so very much
In this world that will not
Be fixed by our hand.
Then, it is
The small things
We will manage.  The
Appreciated unimportant,
Is what we will
Celebrate first. 
 
 
Susan Patterson
11-2013
 

We, in the United States have had a stressful campaign season.  Further, it has been felt throughout the world.  I won't comment on how and what and why, others will do that.  I will do what I do best... write poetry.  I have posted this poem on The Causerie before.  Many of you may recognize it. But, I think that this little piece might fit well now, for whatever reason.   Thank you for reading and for writing in.  skp

Possibly more than any other form of writing, poetry is more of a personal presentation.  In that vein, some of my poems come from my life.  And still others are absolutely made up.  I will not divulge to you which is which.  Nor should you, the reader, try to figure it out.  Just enjoy the work.

Having said all of that, I should tell you, that this paragraph is an advertisement.  If you like what you read on The Causerie, why not buy a whole book or more!  There is a sale going on now and the holiday season is upon us. 


To purchase, simply go to www.EarleneGrey.com

A Practice of Care
 
 
You walked past me through
The door without saying a word. 
I knew something was wrong,
But waited.  Then, wisely, I went
To find you.
                                                                        
There you were on the bed.
I lay next to you,
Drawing myself near.
Your back against my chest,  
Your head on my arm. 
 
Muscles that held you upright
Had given out.  Bone weary,
Your body seemed without spirit.
 
I heard your short breathing.
I felt your heart quicken then
Slow down, then quicken again. 
 
I pulled you close to me and
Breathed steadily and slowly
To deliver calmness into the air.      
                                                            
You could feel me inhale and
Exhale, and took the pace of
My breathing as your own.
Your sigh evidenced my
Effort was appreciated.

I did this, not because I am
Better or stronger than you,
But because it was my turn.
 
At another time,
It will be
Your turn.  
 
 
Susan Patterson
10-2016

Nothing much to say here except that we humans do best when we take turns.  skp

Walking in the Condensation of Wisdom
 
I walked today and went for miles,
Cultivation that has grown to be routine.
The brilliant autumn colors
Muted themselves behind
A body of clouds that
Hovered close to my earth.
The view in the distance that
I yearned to see was fogged. 
 
So often we humans are
Not meant to look further than
Past our own hands.   
Only right in front is what
We are to understand,
And more often than not,
We don’t even
Comprehend that.
 
So while the fog wrapped its
Soft flesh around me;
And as the sun tolerantly
Waited in the background,
I embraced back the grey wisdom
Of the unknown and walked,
Looking no further than one
Step ahead of me. 
 
 
Susan Patterson
10-2011

A friend of mine commented on how beautiful the fog was near her home.  I was reminded of this poem I wrote years ago.  I hope you enjoy it.  skp

Rarely Pursued,
Often Unclaimed
 
You may not see it.
But it is there.
Like the stratosphere above the
Clouds.  It circles the Earth
In a vapor of readiness.
 
It can lower to meet you.  Or
You can lift up to claim it. 
It is above
The muck and mire that
Stops you dead in your tracks.
 
But it is there,
Redemption.
 
 
Susan Patterson
10-2013

Touching is so very important.  Whether we intend to do so or not, we communicate much more than we realize by our touch.  Whether petting our favorite dog or cat, rocking a baby, or hugging our better half, touching is what makes us finer humans.  Okay, just in case you are thinking of the current headlines, this is not the Donald Trump kind of touching.  We should be smarter than that, and I know we are.    skp

Thank you, thank you to all of our visitors at the Open Studios of Beavercreek a few weeks ago!  We had record attendance and record sales. The above pictures are at the Patterson art studio stop.  Even the constant rains did not keep people away.  One cannot deny the call of artistic beauty, whether it is in glass, pottery, jewelry or even books.  Art helps us live our lives to the fullest.  Why not have beautiful art in every corner or your living space?

Happy autumn days to you!  Nothing to worry about, much to be happy about.  Let us think so.  skp

The Stodgy Pleasures of the
Unvaried Particulars of Life
 
They say we are boring.
Those people of a younger age.
It might be so. 
 
But who can imagine the
Interest one can develop over the
Insignificant and trivial. 
 
It is the minute details of life,
The tiny spots and dots of this
And that which entertain us.
 
Watching to see how the rain
Splatters on the window,
We imagine a universe of microbes
On the glass. 
 
We marvel at how the spider rebuilds
Her web every day and
How it becomes a doily in the sky. 
 
We talk about the neighbors,
And watch them from our windows,
Come and go like creatures
In a reversed zoo.
 
We laugh at the same inside jokes,
Not because we forget, but
Because there are subtle and
Silent changes in the humor
That only we notice. 
 
We marvel at how it is that we are
Fortunate enough to sit and discuss
Nothing and everything over,
And yet over again, without tedium.    
 
No sir, we are not dull. 
It is quite obvious we are more
Clever than before, because we have
Found intelligence and
Enrichment in the uneventful of
Our lives. 
 
 
Susan Patterson
11-2013
 

It is this day and age, there is so many sources from which we can learn.  We have the internet, books, social media, television and radio.  So much.  Too much!  There seems to be more information than we can  handle.  Some of us don't know how to use the information and technology we have at our finger tips.  Some of us threaten and commit crimes with technology.  Some of us skew information to our own ends.   Hopefully we will learn to be better stewards.   In the meantime, I'm going to sit as quietly as I can, as often as I can and learn from the small insignificant elements of life.  skp

It's that time already! 

Time for the autumn edition of Open Studios of Beavercreek.  This art show is a tour in the country.  All you have to do is download a map at  openstudiosofbeavercreek.weebly.com/ and follow the directions.  There will also be plenty of signage on the streets. 

Please join me and James and our home studio for cookies and tea...and oh yes, art.  How could I forget!  This fall we are indeed fortunate to have four artists at our studio.  And, let me tell you, the art they produce is just downright gorgeous.  Stop by and meet our artists guests.  We are stop Number Two, at 18882 S Forest Grove Loop, Oregon City.  You will also find three more artists right around the corner at stop Number Three. 

We will have Christina Fowler-Thias, who creates artisan jewelry by handcrafting one of a kind jewelry pieces that are influenced by antiquity, organic in form, textured and complex in color.  Her work is Influenced by science, symbol and antiquity to elevate mystery and sensuality in our lives.  Can't get better than that, huh?  

Then we will have Ha Austin, ceramic artist.  Ha's unique work is well known in the area.  She is a crystalline potter creating pieces that can take up to 35 hours for a single item. The rareness and beauty of each ceramic creation makes her pottery journey worthwhile and will delight your home.

We also are pleased to have Barbara Sparks - Shively, stained glass artist. Barbara is an highly talented glass artist of 20 years.  Starting out with sun catchers, she now produces a very impressive gallery of stained glass art.  You will be impressed and pleased with her versatility. 

Then, there is me, Susan Patterson, who has written and produced four books, including poetry and memoirs.  My work is heard weekly, around the world through the international podcast, Radio Kidderminster Worldwide Podcast.  It has been said that my work brings a soft education to the world.  Gosh, that is nice, isn't it?  ;-)  Come and meet us all.  Sit among the cedars, say hello to kitties and enjoy the beauty. 

I'll be seeing you soon!   skp