High on Life

By Sue A. McLaughlin

This is a collection of inspirational poems from Author's personal experience. This would help motivate people to be optimistic on their views in life whatever they are going through .

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jun 3, 2016
• ISBN: 9781491796528

Sue A. McLaughlin

Sue A. McLaughlin This is the third in a trilogy of poetry books, preceded by “High on Life” and “Still Rhyming”. Now 86 years old, author is a veteran of the Women’s Air Force, graduate of Tampa College, mother of 7, grandmother of 18 and great-grandmother of 21. She has written all her life, mostly poetry and essays, with no foreseeable plans to stop! She writes about everything that happens in her life, hoping one poem will speak to someone. Front Cover and interior artwork by the author. Background in photo is a 3-panel stained glass screen created by author’s son, Lonny McLaughlin

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Copyright © 2016 Sue A. McLaughlin.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-9651-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-9652-8 (e)

iUniverse rev. date:   04/29/2016

Contents

High on Life

Pensive Poetry

1. Care-Full Woman

2. I Did

3. Cloudy Sunset

4. I Am an Anchor

5. Trees

6. Dawn

7. Deep Blue World

8. Happiness

9. Leave Your Watch At Home

10. Fortunate One

11. Conclusion

12. The Librarian

13. Different

14. He

15. Excitement Within

16. Midnight

17. Memories

18. Life Is But a Dream

19. Lifeguard

20. Never

21. Reason vs Desire

22. Little Things

23. Panoramic View

24. People

25. Perfect Seashell

26. Realism vs Idealism

27. She

28. Alone

29. Shell

30. Ribbons

31. Cosmic Plan

32. The Thoughts of the Old

33. Just When

34. I Only Cry In the Shower

35. Introspection

36. Traffic Jam

37. Twilight

38. Waiting Is Hard

39. Why Cry?

40. Shattered

Salute to the months

1. Tribute to the Months

2. January, the Grande Dame

3. February

4. August is a Lady

5. September

33 Years in Paradise

1. Florida Fall

2. Florida Winter

3. Gulf Coast

4. West Coast of Florida

On the Move---Again!

1. It Took a Miracle

2. My Condo

3. My Little Red Apartment

4. But Then I Moved---Again!

5. Happy Tower

6. Moving, Moving

7. Never Say Never

On writing

1. Collecting Words

2. No Writer Am I

3. On and On and On

4. On Writing Verse

5. Write On

6. Forced Writing

7. Why Write?

8. I Write Because

9. Modern Poets

10. A Million Stories

Inspirational

1. Flying High

2. Don't Call Me by Name

3. Answer Me

4. Dear Martha

5. I Can't Be Still

6. What a Beautiful God-Given Day

7. Could It Be Now?

8. Your Eyes Will See the King

9. I Give it All to You

10. In Charge

11. I Have Chosen You

12. Be Still

13. He Is Risen

14. When I Take My Eyes off You

15. Hey, Dad

16. I Want to Be Led

17. God Laughs

18. Doubter

19. I Wish Jesus Had Arms

20. Today Is Yours

21. When I Get Myself Out of the Way

22. Lap of God

23. Where Will I Be?

24. Glorious Sunrise

25. Talk To Me

26. Resurrection Day

27. Ready

28. The Quit Button

29. Prisoner of Hate

30. Pity Party

31. No Fair

32. Necessity

33. My Heart Is a Prayer

34. My Psalm

35. My Bleeding Soul

36. Pete Was Quite a Guy!

37. Lowly to Lovely

38. Loneliness

39. Overwhelmed

40. Reverse the Curse

41. Relinquishment

42. Mother Eve, You Blew It!

Family

1. Nameless Thing

2. Farewell, Alma Mater

3. I Love Life---But

4. Taps From a Distant Hill

5. Farewell, My Brother

6. Friends

7. For Her Family

8. Ike

9. Maude

10. Sometimes a Daughter

11. Rock My Baby Boy

12. Mack

13. WAFs in a Weary World

14. Sleep, Little Baby

15. To Be Me

16. Seventy-two and Holding

17. Diamond Jubilee

18. Fourscore

19. Mind Reader

20. You Are Blessed of God

21. Healthy to Dead

On the Lighter Side

1. Happy Camper

2. Confused

3. A Day in the Life of a Stapler

4. Every Two Hours

5. Dear Son

6. Dessert Fixation

7. Job's Sister

8. Every Other Day

9. Lists

10. Water Bottle World

11. A Love Song

12. Ode to an Egg

13. Puzzle Meister

14. I Love Mondays

15. Hurry!

16. Maternity Myths

17. On Shopping

18. My Red

19. On Aging

20. Push Button World

21. Motel Mentality

Love Makes the World Go 'Round

1. Awake Little Flower

2. I Love You

3. Enthusiastic Lover

4. I Love Him Still

5. I'll Go on without You

6. Flowers and Fantasies

7. Angels

8. Gift of Love

9. There's No Fool Like an Old Fool

10. Half Good Enough

11. Don't Ever Lose Your Sunny Smile

12. Sing a Song to My Beloved

13. Special Friend

14. You Needn't Say You Love Me

15. Crazy, Mixed-up World

16. Only Let Me Love You

17. Pocket

18. Shine Golden Sun

19. Still Dreaming

20. Sweet Times

21. Yearning

22. Philosophical Question

23. Walking and Talking

Happiest Time of the Year

1. Thanksgiving Dinner

2. Anticipation of Christmas

3. My Christmas

4. That Christmas Feeling

5. Christmas Season

6. Christmas Is a Promise

7. Christmas Reverie

8. Do You Believe In Christmas?

9. Right Christmas

10. Christmas Comes but Once a Year

11. Post-Holiday Letdown

12. This Isn't the End

High on Life

My pulses race, my eyes are sparkling bright,

My heart flutters within my breast---

Oh my.....I'm high.....on life!

The sun shines brightly, it's warmth so comforting,

The rain falls gently, cooling down the land---

It feels good to be.....high on life!

It wasn't always this way, but that's another day and time,

And I'm never going back to the way it was---

I'm grateful that.....I'm high on life!

Even in the valleys there's a joy within my heart,

And praises on my lips when days are gray---

I still am .....high on life!

The excitement's ever building to magnificent crescendo.

I hear the music everywhere surrounding me---

I'm really high .....I'm high on life!

PENSIVE POETRY

ClipArt1.jpg

Care-Full Woman

Sadness settled gently on her shoulders,

Sorrow seemed to be so fitting there.

Worry was imprinted on her forehead

As she quietly made room for one more care.

A line for every tear she'd ever shed.

Every tragedy in life was there reflected

In every silver hair upon her head---

But then she smiled!

I Did

Twenty years from the day I was born

I looked and thought, I could have.

At thirty years I awoke one morn

And said to myself, I would have.

Forty years it took me to form

All the reasons I should have.

Lord, please let me awake

The last day of my life

And look back and say.......... I DID!

Cloudy Sunset

Silvered pewter clouds above a polished pewter sea,

But, lo, a glint of gold there to the west!

Putty-colored sand amid the rivulets of water,

Tinted lightly where the sun caressed.

Breezes moving swiftly in the evening's waning light,

Scuttling waves and clouds before their paths;

Rippling steel gray waves dappled by the gold,

Seabirds tiptoe lightly down for their nocturnal baths.

The undulating seashore of beige and taupe and tan

Seems to be anticipating night.

The heavens wait with bated breath the climax of the day

When the golden sun extinguishes its light.

Even in a cloudy sky the glory of the sunset

Manifests itself in full array;

As with one final burst of splendor the sun-flame is extinguished

And dusky evening settles down to stay.

I Am an Anchor

I am an anchor in a turbulent sea,

I am a harbor sheltered from the elements;

Friend and acquaintance can rely on me.

I am a rock on which one may lean,

A resting place that's warm and secure

Against all dangers seen and unseen.

I am no anchor, but a vacillating weed

Bobbing and weaving on that frothing sea,

Searching for an anchor to cling to in my need.

Where are all those who leaned on me

When I want to lean, in my weariness,

And feel safe and secure from that tumultuous sea?

But, I am and anchor! I have to be---

For that is my excuse for existence.

Trees

I think that I shall never see---

No, Kilmer already did that, splendidly.

But I can still be in awe of a tree

And how they have affected me.

They stand so tall and so stately,

And often provide their shade for me.

There are those whose fruit I eat gladly

And those of such magnificent beauty

That one must just gaze appreciatively,

Caught up in poignant