Summer Fun?

Summer Fun?
The sacred silence of the evening
mingles with the sound
of frogs singing and crickets chirping,
lulling us to sleep.

This is the best part of summer.
And as I drift into a dream, I know that
somewhere in the nearby fields and forests
coyote pups are suckling,
deer are giving birth,
and the lovely fox we saw this winter,
living under a cottage porch
is now tending her young.

I fall into a deep sleep
resting for the next day’s work.
When it happens – again,
this year just like last year,
BANG! KABOOM! SCHOOOTA!
CRACKLE. CRACKLE

“Ohh,” I groan waking up.
The dog is whining, I lift him onto the bed.
He is shivering so hard our bed is shaking,
his hot, anxious breath in our faces.
My husband moans.

Crickets and frogs have stopped singing.
The earth seems frightened and strangely quiet.

Someone in a summer cottage is having “fun”
shooting off very loud fireworks.
If it is after 11pm I call the sheriff.

Sometimes I feel so violated and frustrated,
I fantasize going downstate to their home and
doing what they do up here,
the night before they have an important trial
or after a long day in the office or on call in the ER.
Or when they are sick or recovering from surgery.

It’s not my better side. I’m not proud of it.
I know we cannot force others to be compassionate
or see their actions from someone else’s perspective.
(And yes, I do know how pretty fireworks can be
and that it is exciting and fun to set them off.)

But it just doesn’t seem right – that
someone else’s “fun” causes so much pain
and is so destructive of what people
love about the area –
the abundant quiet and natural beauty.

For more information about the effects of fireworks
on the environment, pets and wildlife go to:
http://www.all-creatures.org/oadl/art-fireworks.html

The Promise of Spring

In the early warmth
when little snow was left on the ground
and streams were running strong,
before the tadpoles and turtles
awakened from winter’s sleep
or bats returned to their roost –
when the sweet scent of violets
and the song of the peepers
had yet to fill the air,
when baby robins and cherry blossoms
had yet to hatch or bloom,
we trimmed up the maples
and raked old leaves from the edges of the pond.

We ate lunch in the sun,
played frisbee with the dog,
walked in the woods and
rested in an old grassy clearing,
surrounded by pines
where the sun kissed the earth
And smelled like the promise of spring.

A Valentines Day Poem by Youngman Chai

When green grasses stretch their arms
from the earth-
Everything new and everything hopeful…
I think of you.
When the sweet sent of roses linger
in the air-
Everything dreamy and everything standing still…
I think of you.
When falling maple leaves emit sweet and
comforting aromas high above the blue sky-
Everything accomplished and everything content….
I think of you.
When puffy white snow flakes dance with angels
in the air-
Everything refreshing and everything tranquil…
I think of you.
You are my spring, summer, autumn and winter –
My lover and companion,
my circle of life.

Only in WInter Do I Get to See...

Only in winter do I get to see
What my dog is sniffing
On his walks with me.

Bunnies, deer, mice and opossum
Have left tracks that must really
smell quite awesome.

His actions tell me there’s value in the find
Of a tender morsel
An animal left behind.

He wags and rolls and rolls some more
To come up with a fragrance
I truly abhor.

“Oh you naughty boy!” I yell, shaking my head
“You’re not getting that smell
all over my bed!”

So at home he obliges and jumps in the tub
Shampoo and water
Scrub a dub-dub.

His soft Labrador coat now shiny and bright
With a fragrance less natural
He smells just right!

A Winter Blessing

A Winter Blessing

May
the still,
quiet beauty
of the earth
nourish your soul,
fill your heart with love,
and bless the world
with peace.

A Reflection on Fall

Let the Seasons Flow!

What if the maple
held onto its leaves
and refused to release the past?

Or a cedar kept
its clusters of nuts
firmly within its grasp?

Or geese said, “No,
we won’t fly south,
for it should
stay green all year!”

Would new leaves ever
grow from maple trees?
Would cedar trees be born?

Would squirrels have nuts to tuck away
and eat while winter storms?

Can geese too stubborn
to take to flight find
grass beneath the snow?

O’ little ones,
please learn from the earth
to let the seasons flow!

Wonderful weekend of art & blessing

The last 2 weeks of potting and painting, sometimes till 1am and often till 10:30pm cumulated in the July 11th Marketplace Art Show at the Old Art Building in Leland, MI, just a half hour from our home. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed our usual spot inside, in front of the fire place. Pottery purchases kept Youngman and me very busy, and we often had 3 to 5 people lined up at once, waiting to pay for the special Blessing Bowl they discovered on our display tables.

The landscape bowls and bright bouquet designs, in all sizes were the best sellers. Check them out on my website www.juliechai.com under pottery.

It was fun to see one of my wedding clients from years past, with her new baby girl and her mom who lives in Leland!

On Sunday, I had the honor of officiating a Baby Blessing for a couple whose wedding we celebrated in 2007. It was good working with them again and celebrating their precious baby girl!

Today Youngman and I are making pots, filling up the blank spaces on our shelves and throwing for special, Personalized Pottery orders. Tomorrow, we are expecting a large shipment of white stoneware clay.

Check out the photo of Youngman in front of our extremly tall hollyhocks on the back side of the studio!

Blessings to All,

Julie