From Guam to Crown City Coronado (Thanks to Hermann, Missouri): A Journey in Poesy

By Mariecor Ruediger

many familiar locations where I have been and experienced, I enjoyed the reminiscing
- B. Angus MacDonald, Captain, USN (Ret.)

heart-felt and revealing
- Joyce Churchill, Retired Missouri Educator (Gasconade County)

a substantial piece of work
- Brian F. McCabe, Outreach Editor, FOOTHILL: A JOURNAL OF POETRY

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 20, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477116821

Mariecor Ruediger

Mariecor Ruediger is a military veteran's wife, and lives with her husband, their two children, and family pets in California. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Gonzaga University (Spokane, WA), and a Master of Science degree in Organizational Leadership from National University of La Jolla, CA. Ever the adventuress, Mariecor has bungee-jumped in Australia, skydove twice (on Guam USA and on Oahu), gone hot-air ballooning in California, and visited every major US military aviation museum. She also completed her first marathon in 2006 on Oahu, and quite enjoys family vacations with her husband, their children, and their family pets.

Book preview

FROM GUAM TO

CROWN CITY CORONADO

 (THANKS TO HERMANN, MISSOURI)

A Journey in Poesy

Mariecor Ruediger

Copyright © 2012 by Mariecor Ruediger.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2012909233

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4771-1681-4

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4771-1680-7

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4771-1682-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

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without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

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www.Xlibris.com

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109946

DEDICATION

For MyParents, MyHusband, OurChildren, and OurPets

CONTENTS

Chapter One

Where America’s Day Begins: The Formative Years

Chapter Two

The Lilac City: An Introduction To The Great Minds

Chapter Three

Antelucan

Chapter Four

Veritas

Chapter Five

Searching For My Eden

Chapter Six

Marriage And Family Life

Chapter Seven

Complements And Flavors

CHAPTER ONE

WHERE AMERICA’S DAY BEGINS:

THE FORMATIVE YEARS

MOMMA

Gently and quite sweetly,

With caring smiles and hands,

MyMomma quite taught me

The pow’r of Love’s command.

Hugs, kisses, and prayers

Showed MyMomma’s nurture;

MyMomma always cares,

And ensures my future.

I return MyMomma’s love

By emulating her,

And asking dear God above

That I be a Good Daughter.

DADDY

My compass and guiding star:

MyDaddy, that’s who you are.

Discipline I learned from you,

With patience in all I do.

Sang-froid you gifted to me,

Along with versatility.

You reveal the profound beauty

Found in Family Duty.

You’ve instilled me with toughness,

To overcome any roughness.

Thanks to you I conquer worlds;

I strive to be MyDaddy’s girl.

US CITIZENSHIP

One of my treasured memories

Is of our Datsun jalopy.

Skyblue—Baby Blue was its hue;

’Twas a good Family car, too.

It survived with us through a flood

Many virtues it had that I’d laud.

It saw me as a wee young one

Learning to crawl, walk, then run.

It always led us the right way,

Even during my first school day.

But the picture I value most

Of this auto that this poem toasts

Is of this car and MyParents

When they became US citizens.

THE BALLOON

There’ve been astronomically many balloons in my life:

There’s the one I rode with MyHusband when I became his Wife;

The one that first mesmerized OurDaughter and OurSon;

The one that was given to me with a bouquet when I won;

The one I first deflated with a dart to win a prize;

The one tied to a school project egg I threw from great heights;

The first that was filled with water that I threw with great might;

The one that taught me about physics and Newton and light;

The classic punch balloon MyDaddy bought for me in first grade;

The ones from when I was 5 and 6 that I papier-mâché’d

To make a Halloween pumpkin and an Easter egg basket;

The red one in a French movie that made me cry (can’t mask it);

But there’s one I’d want MyHusband and OurKids to have seen:

’Twas when a military man jumped to reach for it on the ceiling.

I was a toddler then with MyParents; we were at a store;

My balloon floated away from my wrist; I cried tears galore.

It was too high up for MyParents to reach, when suddenly—

A white military man jumped so incredibly!

To the amazement of all he got me a balloon from up high!

How neat if MyHusband & OurKids had met this Olympian guy…

HERITAGE

From both MyMomma and MyDaddy I distinctly remember

Real love and happy childhood from January through December.

There were adventures, expeditions, and tons of wholesome learning;

There were lessons of self-control, industriousness, and good earning.

There’s so much I’m thankful for that MyParents have given to me:

Strong Family Values, True Love, and Monogamous Stability.

ORGANIC

‘Organic’ is such a fascinating word

With different connotations that are layered.

For instance, carbon-loving chemists love it;

So do organic soil specialists, I submit.

Farmers who steer clear of excess chemicals

Even use the word when being polemical.

In medicine the word relates to organs,

And describes the integrating work of JP Morgan.

To others it means ‘gradual development,’

Its etymology even hints of its envelopment.

Meanwhile, I rather fancy ‘organic’ law,

For constitutionalism has me in awe.

Besides, President Truman signed an Organic Act

That shaped my island home of Guam, that’s a fact.

DEAR RED, WHITE, AND BLUE

O beautifully grand Red, White, and Blue—

The stars abundantly shine on you;

Momma taught me, Daddy assured me,

Your bravery beats with hearts that are true!

O good and revered Red, White, and Blue—

Heaven’s majesty oft blesses you;

How grand and glorious to be free,

As you wave you restore spirits anew.

FILIPINO

MyParents quite adore their Filipino ethnicity;

And, since I revere MyParents with ardent intensity,

It’s thereby not so bad accepting my gene inheritance;

I even love how MyChildren share my flat-nosed countenance.

Besides, Filipino cuisine, I admit, still beckons me

When I want a change from pizzas, burgers, hotdogs, and chili.

And I’m always proud Filipinos speak and write in English

With eloquent virtuosity and fluency quite polished.

Did you know it’s because English is a national language

In the Philippines? English remains a colonial reminder, a vestige.

Meanwhile, many Filipinos can be hard-working and polite;

They’re talented in music, dance, and the arts: they’re very bright.

These positive traits I’d love to see in both of MyChildren,

Rather than have these good traits absent, recessive, or hidden.

Moreover, the white cowboy from Missouri (who has made me

A military wife) says Strength is in gene pool diversity.

MY PARENTS’ SOLUTION TO

MY QUESTIONS OF ‘WHY’

I have memories of having asked MyParents questions;

They provided answers, recommendations, suggestions.

They recounted myths, legends, fairy tales, even fiction;

They gave me illustrations and numerous depictions.

But their most brilliant move that I quite commend them for

Was when they introduced me to books—that opened a new door.

Questions therefrom became exciting scavenger hunt clues,

Reference lexicons and encyclopedias were put to good use.

How my young mind absorbed all the fascinating stats and facts!

Thank Providence MyParents have been such a positive impact!

LBJ

How I searched for you!

Far and wide, around the isle:

You are my first school…

I was promoted

Back in old kindergarten

To a better class…

My first trapezoid;

With all my artwork showcased,

Near the trampoline.

My first class Birthday,

My first TV interview,

My graduation.

Next arrived first grade,

With homemade cardboard carrels,

Mine of BATTLESTAR.

Everyone was stung

By guava tree honeybees;

One exception: me.

My pumpkin caved in,

But my Easter egg