This week ends with a poem. This wasn’t my plan originally, but lovely, talented poet Christy of Poetic Parfait tagged me for the writing challenge, ‘Love Ten Sentences‘ for which I have to write a poem about love within ten sentences and send the challenge on to ten other bloggers. I couldn’t resist. Thanks so much Christy, here’s my poem, which is about the love between friends and the passing years:
Love’s Lullaby
View of Moonstone Beach, Cambria, Central Coast of California, April 2013. Special memories of this place…
(c) Sherri Matthews
Once we sat with arms entwined upon the picnic bench, as shadows
of our children hurried by. There we talked and smiled and wiped
wistful tears from our eyes.
For there, against the ebbing tide, we also whispered of our fears and of
all that brought us here. We remembered, seared hearts filled with pain,
of loss both far and near.
The years crashed by as with the sea that pounds the well-trod shore, as shells
and pebbles cut into our feet. So sliced our hopes and pierced our dreams, though
not yet; not for us defeat.
For I remember another day when we sang of all we gave, though in return
we may never understand. Here, now, we rage against
the face of thwarted plans.
Listen to the lullaby of a child’s sweet song ringing out across the sea; a melody of love
mending broken, stolen hearts. The answer, my friend, was here all along,
as we leap into victory’s dance.
*******
The ten bloggers I’m tagging are (and no obligation whatsoever):
Nadine at nadinetomlinson
Mihran at Mihran Kalaydjian
Andrea at Harvesting Hectate
Geoff at TanGental
Sarah at Sarah Potter Writes
Imelda at My Wall
Patsy at Patsy’s Creative Corner
Jane at Jane Dougherty Writes
YPrior at Priorhouse Blog
Jennifer at Jennifer K. Marsh
Have a great weekend everyone!
A View From My Summerhouse 
Beautifully done, Sherri. The ups and downs of a relationship, and the tumultuous experience of being in love, are all here in in your wonderful poem. I love your ‘special memories’ pic. Happy weekend my friend. xx
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Thanks so much Sylvia, and I hope you too are having a lovely weekend 🙂 xx
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Lovely! I was limited to 4 words per sentence on my challenge.
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Thank you so much 🙂 Now that is some challenge!
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Haunting and beautiful, Sherri.
Thanks for tagging me. It’s funny, but I posted two haiku yesterday that could fit this challenge. What’s even more interesting is that, like yours, the sea inspired them. 🙂
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Thank you so much Nadine, and you are most welcome 🙂 I find the sea inspires me more than anything else, flowing full of memories of my life in California…
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Oops, I meant to say “like your poem”.
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No worries, I knew what you meant 😉
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The answers are always there…lovely poem, Sherri, and the picture. The misty hauntedness of it really supports your poem. Wonderful.
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Yes, if we just stop and breathe and let the answers flow through…thank you so much Renee for your lovely comment.
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This is beautiful, Sherri. When I look at the photo, its as though the ocean is speaking your words. Great job, my friend! Is there no end to your talents? Enjoy your weekend! xo
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I’m so glad you enjoyed it Jill, thank you so much! Looking at photos of the Californian coastline always brings back so many memories. I spent a lot of time with my children at this particular spot. I hope you and DFD are having a wonderful weekend:-) ❤ xoxo
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What a lovely poem Sherri. I think many relationships are like the sea- both peaceful and tumultuous at times. A wonderful read on my Friday evening. I hope you have an enjoyable weekend 🙂
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So glad you enjoyed it Heather, thank you so much! A lovely weekend, hope for you too 🙂
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Beautiful, Sherri! I can feel the rhythm of the victory dance!
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Nothing like that victory dance is there Charli? Thanks so much…thinking of you in California 🙂
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Lovely poems taking us through the thick and the thin and ultimately victory. Beautifully put. Hope you have a fantastic weekend Sherri. ❤ 🙂
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Thank you so much Irene, I’m thrilled you enjoyed it 🙂 A lovely weekend, and hope for you too 🙂 ❤
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Well done, Sherri! Love the poem and the photo. Have a wonderful weekend!
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Thank you so much Marie! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend too 🙂
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That was lovely! I do not know much about poetry, but I enjoyed your piece.
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Thank you so much for your lovely comment AJ, I am delighted that you enjoyed it 🙂
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So beautiful Sherri. Grabbing my hankie as I write this…….. ❤
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❤ ❤ ❤
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Wonderfully written. You captured the highs and lows of a typical relationship, a rollercoaster of emotions in that poem. You write fiction well, and poetry too. And that is a pretty picture that goes so well with your words. Writing a story is one thing, finding a photo that goes with it is another thing altogether and it can be hard sometimes 😉 Hope all is well with you, Sherri, and your writing is coming along well. Have a good weekend and looking forward to coming by your Summerhouse soon 🙂 ❤
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Thank you so much Mabel for your, as always, lovely, kind comment. I find that for me, the photograph comes first at such times as these. I didn’t know what to write for the challenge (usually when I write poetry, which I don’t do too often as you know, I already know what I want to write, as it is a deep form of expression for me, usually when I’m troubled by something) so I looked to some photos for inspiration. And memories of the Californian coastline never fail to inspire me, reminding of my years living there as a young mum with my children 🙂 I am writing Mabel, feeling more confident that I’m actually going to finish the first draft…but a way’s to go yet, won’t meet my Easter goal, but will do my best to get there as soon as I can 😉 So sweet of you to keep tabs on me, means a lot that 🙂 I’ll be over to you as soon as I can to catch up, but meanwhile, I hope too you are having a wonderful weekend…and you know that the door is always open to you at my Summerhouse 🙂 ❤ 😉
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You’re like me, Sherri, looking at photos to find inspiration to write. I do that a lot when I don’t know what to write, play around with photos and hopefully an idea will come to me.
Happy Easter. I don’t celebrate it, but am looking forward to getting away from work and thinking more about writing. Barely been doing anything on writing my book, hopefully soon 🙂 ❤
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Happy Easter to you too dear Mabel, I do hope you get to find that writing time and time to relax and unwind too 🙂 ❤
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Beautiful! 🙂
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Thank you so much Lilka. I hope you’re having a lovely weekend 🙂
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Well done, dear Sherri, VERY well done.
“…So sliced our hopes and pierced our dreams, though not yet; not for us defeat.”
Strong, touching and beautiful.
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Thank you so much dear Marylin 🙂
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This wistful meandering of a relationship brought me to the edge of the water in your photo and I traveled down memory lane. A melancholy poem. ❤ ❤ ❤
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Thank you so much Tess, really means a lot that 🙂 I used the photo for inspiration as I didn’t know what to write for this challenge (I don’t ‘do’ poetry on a regular basis as you know) and memories of course, come flooding back, through the ebb and flow… Hope you are having a wonderful weekend ❤ ❤ ❤
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I can’t complain. It’s 7:30 a.m. Sunday and I’ll clean up my e-mail and spend the rest of the day r.e.a.d.i.n.g. 😛 (I hope) 😮
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Sounds like a great plan, hope it works out that for you and you enjoy every minute, 🙂 Having a quick catch up here too and then I’m going to see my dad this afternoon, first time in almost two years. Strangely, I feel ambivalent about it. Will keep you posted 🙂 ❤ 🐻
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Good luck, Sherri. More power to you. ❤ ❤
Deep breath, chin up, girls forward. . .
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Ahh…thanks so much Tess. Actually, it was wonderful to see him again. He isn’t doing too badly, considering, and then of course, I got all emotional on the way home. Was trying to be all tough and brave…ha! ❤
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You get all 10 stars from you. Glad the visit went well. ❤ ❤
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😀 Thanks so much Tess 🙂 ❤ ⭐
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❤ ❤
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What a moving poem, Sherri. I can feel myself being carried over the waves as I read this.
Thanks so much for the nomination. I just need a little breather before I do this one, following on from the Love in 10 Lines poetry challenge. Too much writing about love in a few days, might prove fatal to my ticker! xxxx
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Oh thank you so much dear Sarah, thrillled to know that (about the poem, not your ticker)!!! And no worries about the challenge. I am in the same boat (no pun intended, ha!) and fully understand. Haha…yes, all this love poetry could be quite dangerous 😀 Hope you are having a lovely weekend…will be in touch! ❤ xxxx
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Christy will make a poet out of most people, and the way you have taken on the challenge clearly exemplifies it. Love is a boundless bounty, sherri, for the one who gives and for the one who receives it; your poetry on friendship brings it out beautifully…,best wishes… Raj.
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Yes she will Raj! Thank you so much for your lovely comment, you bring great warmth to my heart. Very best wishes to you too my friend 🙂
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This was sweet and touching, Sherri. I ‘hate’ thwarted plans (not how you wrote it but actual real plans that get waylaid). I loved your lovely words of a lullaby song with a ‘victory dance’ in store for those who waited.
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Oh thank you so much Robin. Yes, so many thwarted plans, so many disappointments…yet, as we both know we have to keep going and hoping that we will one day find our answers and not allow defeat to keep us from our victory dance. I hope all is well with you and that you are having a lovely weekend 🙂
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Oh Sherri, this poem is beautiful! I like how you applied the theme of love to a long friendship, with the different phases of friendship being readily apparent here. The ending is wistful and the poem has a wonderful flow to it. Thank you for taking the challenge, linking to me here, and for what you have produced for us readers here! ❤
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Thank you so much Christy, your wonderful comment brings me huge smiles, I am delighted you enjoyed this poem so much 😀 I wasn’t sure at first what to write as I don’t write poetry too often, and when I do it’s usually because I’m troubled and so turn to the deeper expression that writing poetry gives. For this challenge, I looked to my photographs, and of course, I only have to look at one of the California coastline and I am inspired by so many memories of my life once lived there… Thank you so much for inspiring me to find the words, floating there, on that sea of memories 🙂 I hope you are having a wonderful weekend ❤
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You’re such a delight, Sherri! Oh yes I did enjoy the poem very much. It’s nice to know about your inspiration being a photograph of the California coastline too as the sea is so inspiring to watch and wonder about in the day. I am having a nice Sunday morning here and I hope your day is lovely too ❤
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Ahh…thank you so much Christy ❤ Sounds wonderful. Have a great week 🙂
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Captivating, it’s something we can all relate to and you put it in such a beautiful and gentle way, running the gamut of emotions. The tide is the perfect synonym for a relationship.
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Thank you so much my friend…
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Sherri such a beautiful poem the victory dance is all the more sweeter when you go through the hard stuff. You are such a talented soul.
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Oh Kath, let’s dance that victory dance on the shore…thank you so much… ❤
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Indeed….
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🙂
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Sherri – I have no words – I am touched by the image and words …Walking to the moon….Elegant – Thank you deeply and appreciative for tagging – have a cheerful weekend!!
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Love it…’walking to the moon’ 🙂 Thank you so much my friend, I am thrilled you enjoyed it and you are most welcome! A cheerful weekend indeed, and I hope the very same for you 😀
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So sensitively written. Images that we can all relate to. Thank you for this.
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Thank you so much Denise….
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Thanks again for a beautiful poem. I said it many times and wlil say it again. You really have a talent with words Sherri! Keep writing my friend 🙂
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And I will keep saying also how very grateful I am for your wonderful encouragement and support of my writing dear Ilka! I am delighted that you enjoyed it, thank you so much 🙂
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This is gorgeous, Sherri. The sharing of hopes and dreams, and the cutting of them on stones and pebbles, and the realization of life’s changes. This is beautiful. The pic is a perfect fit, wistful, moody, and with the picnic seat. 🙂
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Ahh…Norah, I just left a looooooong comment on your blogging post! Seems we were visiting one another at the same time, how about that!! Thank you so much, I’m delighted that you enjoyed this, means a lot that 🙂
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I often hear the years crashing by, Sherri. Surviving those bad times is an art in itself. As is putting the experience to good use, like this 🙂 Hope you had a good weekend.
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And how loud they crash. Thanks Jo…and yes, a good weekend, hope for you too. Got to see my dad after almost 2 years 🙂
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Wonderful! 🙂 Happy for you!
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Thank you dear Jo, it was very happy 🙂
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Beautiful!!!!!
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Thank you so much Susan:-)
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I have nothing much to add to all these comments. This is lovely, Sherri. The flow and rhythm of both the story and the poetry. I love it. Just beautiful. ❤
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Oh Sarah, you make my heart smile. Thank you so much 🙂 ❤
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What a lovely poem. Well done.
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Thank you so much Marie, thrilled you enjoyed it 🙂
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It’s gorgeous Sherri, poignant, heart-wrenching, uplifting and full of wisdom.
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Thank you so much Andrea…
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I know the place, Sherri! Cambria is such a lovely town. And your poem is exactly how Andrea describes it. See you soon.
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I thought you might Evelyne! Cambria was a place we visited all the time, loved the rock pools there and a great place for the kids and dogs to run. Whenever my mum visited, we always went there for picnics and met friends there too. So many happy memories. And thank you so much about the poem.
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‘Love mending broken, stolen hearts.’ Very Good. Kudos. Sherri. 🙂
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Thank you so much dear Swami, I am greatly blessed knowing that you enjoyed ‘Love’s Lullaby’ 🙂
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