Abecedarian

Fragments of a life, arranged by the alphabet.

Bear with me here as I try something new! This is an abecedarian “poem,” if you will. And totally random at that. An Abecedarian poem starts each stanza with a letter of the alphabet, in order. But it was fun to write, and you might enjoy the random little pieces of my life that I share here. I’d love to read yours!

Abecedarian

Alissa is the name I was given at birth. 
I don’t think there was any special meaning, 
just a pretty name that my parents liked.

Buddy was my childhood dog. He was the best. 
A golden-red long-haired dog 
rescued from a truck stop in West Virginia.

Charles is our family dog. I chose the name because 
I thought it was funny to give a dog an old-man-sounding name.
He’s a good boy, but he’s depressed and grieving his sister Tilly.

Death has come quickly upon our family this year. 
First my grandma, father-in-law, then an aunt, and now our Tilly.
But death is common on the farm, and I’m learning it’s part of life.

Eggs are abundant here, with 30-something red and white chickens.
We used to have a rooster, but he also died this year.
His name was Todd, and his spur would grow so long it poked him in his butt.

Faith is important to me. It holds me up every single day.
My version of faith has changed over the last few years.
But it’s more precious and personal than ever.

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
The blessed Trinity. I didn’t know what it was until recently.
But it changed everything for me.

Hugs are nice when they’re from someone I love.
Otherwise, I prefer people stay out of my bubble.
The workers always gave their favorites hugs, not me.

Ice cream used to make everything better,
But now I think I’m lactose-sensitive. 
Things change, and that’s just the way it is.

Jesus is both fully man and fully God.
I thought he was just a man, 
and if I tried hard enough, I could be just like Him.

Klenk is the family I married into, and also the family I created.
I’ve been told I’m ruining the family name.
But that’s not the way I see it.

Loren is my husband, the only boyfriend I ever had.
There’s a sweetness to that, and maybe a sadness. 
He rescued me from that pain and gave me joy instead.

Marriage is beautiful and hard and worth it.
Isn’t it amazing that two people choose each other,
And keep choosing each other for a lifetime?

Noise bothers me a lot. 
It’s suffocating and makes me anxious.
I find it hard to focus on what’s in front of me.

Octopus. I’m not sure why this word came to mind.
But I hear they’re smart and beautiful creatures.
Their slimy, eight-tentacled selves. 

Poetry. Sometimes I like to sit and read poems
While sipping a cup of hot coffee. I used to think
There were rules in poetry, but I discovered their freedom.

Quilts are one of my favorite types of blankets.
I love their history and the stories they could tell.
But I mostly like how they’re both light and cozy at once.

Roses were my wedding flower. Bright red ones.
We were supposed to get married in a rose garden,
But it snowed, and we married in a fire station instead.

Sienna is my daughter. Just like my parents, we chose
Her name because it was beautiful. 
But we wouldn’t know her by any other name.

Two-by-twos influenced me in so many ways
That I’m still learning to unravel and undo.
But yet it’s a part of me that I’ll never lose.

Umbrellas are never around when we need one.
Weather is fairly predictable, as is my inability to plan.
But I’ve never been afraid of getting wet in the rain.

Vast skies and beautiful sunsets
Are my favorite part about rural Iowa living.
You can see for miles, no claustrophobia here.

Water locations are my favorite place to be.
The way the sun shimmers off the ripples
Instantly brightens my mood.

Xylophones and X-rays. Or Xenophobia. 
Music, the ability to see through things, and hate.
One I love, one I try to do, and the other I also hate.

Yet somehow I forgot the Y when I first wrote this abecedarian poem.
Why? It’s a question I am also asking myself.
You can’t focus too much on your yesterdays today.

Zoo, because I can’t think of anything other than zebra.
Sometimes our world feels like a wild zoo,
Where all of the animals have escaped.