Poems

Writer’s Block Therapy – A Poem

jeanninegerkman

Writer’s Block Therapy:

There’s a cure for what ails you

It’s not hopeless, not ever

Reconnect with your muse

Write that opus …whatever

We guarantee, you’ll never forget

Hit a blank in your prose or ever fret

For the elusive stanza

That vital arc

The hiding allusion

Your creative spark

It’s locked inside you

You just need the key

We’ll help you find it

For ‘almost’ free

We’ll fix you in a jiffy

And grease your gills

Summon your voice

No fuss, just frills

You’ll feel inspired

And write like a dream

Throw out the curdles

And keep the cream

It’s ever so easy

The cost is so low

Get your Mastercard ready

And don’t be slow

Inspiration is just a click away.

Poems

January 26, 2021 Poem

jeanninegerkman

Right Turn Only

What if you could only turn right?

If left wasn’t an option?

Would you fuss and fume?

Curse the rules, refuse adoption?

Would you kick and scream, ”unfair…unfair”?

Pout due to fewer options from “here to there”?

Or would you just dig in and begin your “going”?

Adapt your map? Make allowances? Stop moaning?

See it as an opportunity for adventure or fun?

Look on the bright side, be creative and run?

Sometimes options are limited, threadbare or scarce

Roads will be narrow, bumpy or worse

But travel we must on this road through life.

So, make your turns wisely.

Avoid bitterness and strife.

Reject the unlawful and soon you’ll see.

Things will work out.

 Go right! Yippee!

Poems

Possessing the Secret of Joy

jeanninegerkman

Their eyes were watching God

Considering his purposes  

And making decisions 

Children of blood and bone 

Translating intentions 

Into actions 

War and peace 

Fighting for supremacy  

Each and every day 

The color of water 

In their tears 

As they struggle  

The Devil in a blue dress 

Forever tempting  

Disobedience 

But the sun also rises 

As they fight to do what’s right 

And conquer the world 

The sound and fury  

Blocked out by God’s love 

Shelters inner calm 

It’s no Catch-22 

Obeying God shapes the kind of joy 

No one can snatch 

Poems

Moonlight Frolics

jeanninegerkman 
The raccoon nibbles the acorn
The possum tastes the shoots
The rats dance the floorboards
Even the owl cuts loose
Softly, softly, rumble and skitter and moan
Under the gaze of the moon
They feed as if alone
Won’t relinquish ground too soon
The day crowd has had their fill
It’s now the night group’s time to shine
To savor tender branches
And strip produce from the vine

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Time to uncover grubs fat and juicy
And pluck fruits ripely fine
Mothers must feed babies
And everyone will dine
For then all the nocturnal species
Come out to frisk, frolic and glean
The little, big, and medium
As the world lays sleeping and serene
Book Readings and Signings

April 5, 2020 Story Time Cancelled due to COVID-19 Shelter in Place

jeanninegerkman

How are you doing out there? We’re all hunkered down in our homes riding out this Coronavirus Pandemic and hoping our social distancing will keep us and our loved ones alive. Sooo, my Story Time at Books Inc. has been cancelled until further notice.

https://www.booksinc.net/event/storytime-jeannine-gerkman-books-inc-palo-alto

Stay healthy and safe.

Uncategorized

Quarantine Musings

jeanninegerkman

I suspect many of us will look back at this “shelter in place” with nostalgia. Not to say there isn’t danger and stress and anxiety, but when we look back on this time of forced isolation; we’ll remember the extra hours we spent with family, gazed fondly at our friends’ and colleagues’ faces on Zoom or Team or Skype, watched animals frolic on live cams, experimented with that old forgotten recipe, laughed at memes on Facebook, waved at neighbors and deliverymen as we took our daily walks (careful to stay six feet away).

The “pause” button has been pushed. We can look at it as a worry or we can look at it as a gift. Children are home with their parents. Kind of like the “snow days” when I was a little kid in Seattle. Everyone stayed home. We enjoyed each other’s company, played in the snow… Time – a precious gift – has given us space to re-evaluate priorities, strengthen bonds of love, and do things we’ve always been meaning to do (just as long as it doesn’t involve leaving the house). Let’s treasure it.

Uncategorized

COVID-19 in 2020

jeanninegerkman

We started out the year
With loads and loads of hope
Today it’s only March
But we’re wondering how we’ll cope

We’re facing a pandemic
That’s grown exponentially
A unique global crisis
As all the world can see

We’re blocking off our borders
The grocery shelves are bare
We’re hunkering down in isolation
We’ve had quite a scare

To display love for our neighbors
We stay at least six feet away
Wash our hands assiduously
And won’t forget to pray…

For the essential people at the front lines
Helping and coping as we speak
Manufacturers providing PPEs,
ventilators, test kits — Flattening the peak

The doctors, nurses, police and media
Working hard to keep us informed and secure
The families who’ve lost loved ones
To help them to endure

The teachers teaching remotely
Children home from schools
Restaurant workers adapting
Creatively living within new rules

These days of social distancing
Let’s socially reconnect
Through Zoom, Team, calls and letters
Give encouragement and respect

Tell your friends, family and clients
That you love and wish them well
Hope they’re healthy, happy and safe
Sequestered for this spell

Spend time with your family
And let them know they’re dear
Follow CDC’s instructions
And we’ll last another year.