January 23, 2020 by D. Wallace Peach

Ritual #Tanka Tuesday

Ritual

mehndi
love painted hands
palms offering the world
the beauty of hearts awakened
sacred

umber
scented color
my bridal ritual
bless me with joyful abundance
wisdom

sweet love
enchant my skin
butterflies transform me
lotus stirs my soul to flower
freedom

water
ripples of change
sunbirds carry my prayers
on gossamer dragonfly wings
reborn

guide me
auspicious art
drawn in ancient symbols
even the gods and goddesses
adorned

My first crown cinquain ever.
Written in response to Colleen Chesebro’s #Tanka Tuesday challenge.
The prompt this week was this beautiful photo by Willow Willers.

February 19, 2016 by D. Wallace Peach

Under the Sea – Shark Tales and Manta Rays

pixabay – skeeze

I was 16 years old when Steven Spielberg released the movie Jaws. After watching that film, I didn’t go in the ocean for 15 years. I guess I’ve always had a vivid imagination and being featured on the seafood menu didn’t appeal to me.

When my first marriage fell apart I was 31 and suddenly alone. Our friends were his friends. My family lived thousands of miles away. I gave up the house for a small apartment, didn’t ask for alimony or child support – anything to break free of a relationship that had run its course.

I was adrift.

I needed to “get a life.”

With nothing to do besides climb the walls, I decided to try a “discover scuba” event. We blew bubbles at the bottom of a community swimming pool, and I won a door prize of a mask and pair of fins. Three years later, I had not only discovered a fun group of friends but had worked my way up to rescue diver and divemaster. I went on three shark dives in the Caymans.

Yep, I patted a shark.

Diving was my cure-all for divorce.

When I met my husband, Randy, we made a deal. I would become a Boston Celtics basketball fan and he would learn to dive. So began a successful decades-long marriage.

The last time we dove was in 2001, our last vacation. This trip is long overdue. To celebrate, this is what we did last night:

I once again apologize for closing comments. We have a couple days left in paradise before returning to the rain … and perhaps a glimpse of the coming spring. Hope your weekend is full of joy and peace 🙂

December 5, 2015 by D. Wallace Peach

My Daughter Elopes Today

Amber, 1 hour old, 1983

My daughter, Amber, elopes today.

How do I express how much this baby/girl/woman means to me? How I have loved her every moment of her life with the whole of my heart?

I remember the moment she was born, the unconditional love that flooded me with the certainty that I would cherish this tiny person for all my days. I remember looking ahead into her future, at the winding path she would follow, how I would be unable to protect her from the travails of love, from the valleys of life, from failure and disappointment, from loss and gray hair. It made me hold her closer.

We named Amber, after the stone of healing, altruism, and wisdom. The child of my heart has found her way, carving out a life as a loving mother and partner, a caring friend, sweet daughter, and unsurprisingly to me, as a healer.

At the young age of 32, she and her partner of nine years, Shawn, are tying the knot. Celebrations to follow.

LOVE

Ambie and me

I love you,
Not only for who you are,
But for who I am
When I am with you.

I love you,
Not only for what
You have made of yourself,
But for what
You are making of me.

Showtime

I love you
For the part of me
That you bring out;
I love you
For putting your hand
Into my heaped-up heart
And passing over
All the foolish, weak things

Mother and daughter

That you can’t help
Dimly seeing there,
And for drawing out
Into the light
All the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked
Quite far enough to find.

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Ambie and the Overlord

I love you because you
Are helping me to make
Of the lumber of my life
Not a tavern
But a temple;
Out of the works
Of my every day
Not a reproach
But a song…

Author Unknown