Monday, September 9, 2019

Guest Listed! with Helen Dehner

It’s fitting Kerry invited this ‘old toad’ to guest in September, my birth month ~  Seventy-eight and still kicking!



I spent the majority of 2018 caring for my son Carl. Four emergency room visits, surviving sepsis, liver and colon abscesses, three hospitalizations, three surgeries. Seven months of terror, stress and finally celebrating his recovery. 

Helen and Carl

Poetry took a back seat to everything else in my life.  I joined a book club in January, back to volunteering in Community Theatre (props, costumes, backstage crew) and will join an acapella women’s singing group in October.  Oh! And I am learning to play the harmonica, channeling Bob Dylan (Okay, I am laughing out loud) who also celebrated seventy-eight in May.

Crater Lake
Bend, Oregon


Here is the list of words to choose from, which reflects much of our September Book Club choice “My Dear Hamilton” by Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie. Eliza’s story is fascinating, as is learning more about the political climate and lives of our founding fathers.



I look forward to reading your poems, any form .. any length. I enjoy all of you immensely. Please use 3 or more words in a new poem written for this challenge.

Aberration
Absence
Assumption
Audacious
Avant-garde
Bedrock
Clamor
Consensus
Enmeshed
Exile
Risqué
Sacrifice
Shame
Toxic
Trauma
Virtue




21 comments:

rallentanda said...

I am so pleased your son has recovered..,2019 has not been a good year
for many of us. Helen if those glamorous beautiful photos of you are supposed to depress women years younger than you are, you have succeeded.I expect you are going to be inondated with requests for your secret .Good to see you so happy.

Kim M. Russell said...

Thank you for guest hosting, Helen, after such a difficult year. I hope your son has recovered. I've posted early as I have a busy day ahead, but I'll be back this afternoon to read and comment.

joem18b said...

https://joem18b.wordpress.com/2019/09/08/poem-6/

Fireblossom said...

Nice to see you, Helen!

Kerry O'Connor said...

It is a most wonderful pleasure to have Helen as our guest in the garden this week, with a fabulous word list to inspire the pen.

I regret that I am in the midst of an examination cycle at work and am literally tied up with assessments for the next two weeks, so am unable to focus on thoughts poetic.. but I do look forward to reading your writing.

May this be the start to a great week for all.

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Helen, what a nerve-wracking year you have had. I am so glad you both came through it so well, and that your spirits remain so high. Lovely to see you hosting here.

tonispencer said...

You are a real example Helen. Such a hard time you have had but you stay busy abd optimistic. Bless you!

brudberg said...

Nice to have you hosting Helen, and so wonderful to hear that your son has recovered...


I will try to make a poem a bit later.

robkistner said...

Thank you for hosting Helen. So happy for you that your son’s ordeal is over.

Vivian Zems said...

Thanks for hosting, Helen. I’m heartened by your fortitude. God bless you both.

Cami said...

I posted a poem! (Only one year and nine months since my last offering).

Susie Clevenger said...

Oh, I know you had a tough year. So glad your son is doing well. It is so scary when it is your child. Love the photos! It sounds like you have some exciting things going on. I wrote from the tone suggested by your book. Thanks so much for the prompt!

cosmos cami said...

I've been trying to get google to allow me to comment for those of you that use blogger. It hasn't gone well. Especially rallentanda. I tried seven different times, so I'll try once more here. Your poem was absolutely fantastic!

Jenna said...

This sounds fun, and I will try it tomorrow.

iamthewalrus said...

Happy birthday Helen~

iamthewalrus said...

I'm so happy to hear your son's been doing well.

Helen said...

I have no idea what is happening! I have read all of your poems through mine AND left comments ~~~ which are NOT there. I will try again tomorrow, we shall see.

Margaret said...

Can't wait to listen to this book - I just bought it on Audible. You sound like your year has started out wonderfully and I'm glad Carl is so much better! It sounds like he has a wonderful support base - and the best mom ever. Brings tears to my eyes and fills my heart...

Margaret said...

I will be writing a poem tomorrow for this prompt :)

Jim said...

I liked the word list, Helen, they were hard, but not strangers.
I too am glad for you, that Carl recovered now. You are a good mom, I know he is proud of you and so very grateful that you were there for him. And we are glad you are back for us. I have missed you and had thought you were traveling again.
I used to have a blogging friend in Bend, her blogging and painting name was "Tumblewords". She painted with water colors, pretty creations. Her poems were nice too.
Tumblewords died in 2013. You might have known her, she was a fine lady.
..

brudberg said...

Finally got around to post... I will get by to read later....