Could you tell me the time, please?

$475,000.00

As I lay here beneath the willow tree

And watch the marshmallow clouds roll by

I imagine a different place and time

While I lay here and wish you by my side

All is quiet as I lay here and rest

The scent of wisteria is in the breeze

And I can smell the delicate honeysuckle

As it creeps around the trunk of the tree

The azaleas are blooming around the pines

Checking each blossom is the hummingbird brigade

Butterflies flutter around my head

And a flock of sparrows in the birdbath play

At the end of the pier the sailboat’s tied

It’s calling my name, let’s go out and play

But I’ll just lay here and dream of you

And I’ll go for that sail another day

As I lay here beneath the willow tree

And watch the marshmallow clouds roll by

I imagine a different place and time

One where you are by my side…

SCW 5/07

Copyright© 2023 Suzi Q’ute Inc.

All rights reserved.

This posting is the intellectual property of the author and her heirs and is not to be copied or reproduced in any form without the author’s written consent.

Is it too early in the day?

I was innocent of all charges, but was incarcerated anyway…

Alone in the night she calls to him

but he does not hear her words

she reaches out to where he once slept

and is filled with such despair

She imagines his touch his gentle caress

his kisses how sweet they were

she longs to see that beautiful face

as he once lovingly stroked her hair

Slowly it all comes back to her

the terrible news that they brought

the war the killing the lives that are lost

the hearts beyond repair

She thinks of him in the cold hard earth

where they placed him yesterday

and as the tears run silently down her face

she offers up this prayer

Thank you, Lord, for the time we had

and for the love of this wonderful man

watch over him protect him

always keep him in your care

Make sure he knows that I love him

that he is in my heart every day

and that he knows that I cherish always

those incredible years that we shared

The morning comes and she arises

and goes about her day

but she knows that she is never alone

for she feels him everywhere

Alone in the night she calls to him…

SCW 06/07

Copyright © 2023 Suzi Q’ute Inc. All rights reserved.

This posting is the intellectual property of the author and her heirs and is not to be copied or reproduced in any form without the author’s written consent.

I’ve always had a fascination with sea horses…though, to me, they look far more like dragons than horses…

What amazing little creatures!

Found in both tropical and temperate waters all across the globe, seahorses are arguably one of the most distinctive and charismatic marine wildlife species in existence. Ranging in length from more than a foot to under one inch, there are more than 40 known species of these ‘horses of the sea’ recorded by scientists to date. From odd dieting tendencies to adorably romantic relationship rituals, there’s much more to seahorses’ majestic intrigue than their trademark elongated mouths and curly tails. Here are just a few wildly fun facts you may not have known about this charming species.

Seahorse couples are essentially serial monogamists, sticking with one partner for long periods of time. Remaining committed to a single partner enables seahorses to pass through multiple reproduction cycles during each mating season, heightening the likelihood of successful, continuous procreation over time.

Seahorse ladies need not fret when it comes to gestation and childbirth. Perhaps one of their most distinctive traits, the Syngnathidae family stands remarkably unique in that it’s the males that carry the burden of pregnancy, not the females.

Seahorses aren’t just different from other fish in their external appearance, either: they’re also ridiculously poor swimmers. They are the slowest-moving of all fish species because of an impeccably tiny fin in the middle of their backs being the only way to propel themselves.  However, while they aren’t all that durable, seahorses are quite unique in that they can not only move forward, but also up, down and backward. 

While they do struggle when it comes to speed, that doesn’t mean this species isn’t athletic! Their tails are quite flexible for a reason, enabling them to anchor themselves to coral or seaweed when they’re in need of a rest.

Since they don’t have teeth or even a stomach at all like other marine species do, the structure of a seahorse digestive system is also markedly unique. This makeup results in a digestive process that functions with extraordinary rapidity, requiring the animals to feast constantly on a carnivorous diet of tiny fish and planktonic copepods. Don’t let their small size fool you: seahorses can consume up to 3,000 crustaceans like brine shrimp in a single day, sucking them up through their trumpet-like snouts from as much as three centimeters away.

Sadly, as with most of our ocean life, sea horses are in trouble.  Mankind seriously needs to stop using our oceans as trash cans.