One Size Fits All: Poetry for Every Mood

By shirley binkley

In 1990, one of Shirleys good friends took note of her beautiful prose in letters and suggested Shirley consider writing professionally. At first, it sounded like a crazy idea, but as soon as Shirley started writing, the words flowed. Since that day, she has written hundreds of poems and songs, been published many times, and even won awards.

She wrote Chapter One of her collection, One Size Fits All, several years ago, and wrote Chapter Two recently at the age of eighty-one, disturbed by the ugliness spewed during the American presidential campaign. Barely recognizing her beloved country, she wrote with fury and passion while expressing her emotions regarding the anger and protests that occurred.

In this collection, Shirley invokes raw emotion as she tells stories of inspiration, discusses God, and tries to guide the reader down a right path. She utilizes humor, charm, and sometimes fury, depending on the word journey. Her poems encompass multiple genres while her words are sincere, factual, and honest, intended to open the eyes and soothe the soul.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: Dec 8, 2017
• ISBN: 9781489714329

shirley binkley

Shirleys work has been published in various anthologies and won several merit and honorable mention awards. Her poems are now published weekly in a local newspaper. Shirley currently lives in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

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Copyright © 2017 shirley(bentz)binkley.

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ISBN: 978-1-4897-1433-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-1434-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-1432-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017956357

LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 12/7/2017

www.shirleybentzbinkley.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated to:

My friend, whose encouragement and belief in me inspired my creativity, and, convinced me to put my thoughts to writing.

Her conviction that I could do it, made me believe in myself.

She brought out words in me that I never knew were there;

My husband, for his patience with me, during this stage of my life.

While I was driving the car, the words started flowing, and I would say to him,

Quick, grab a pen and write this down,

He never once complained;

And last, but not least, I dedicate this book to the memory

of my loving Mother and Father, whose love and tender

care showed me the beauty of the world.

Contents

Dedication

Epigraph

Preface

Acknowledgement

Introduction

Awards from poetry contests and work published in various anthologies include:

Chapter One

Summer’s End

Birds

A Jingle

Along The Way

First Child

A Little Smile

An Autumn Sunset

My Mother

Words

A Message

Second Child

A Prayer for America

Awaken!

Contests

Third Child

Busy Evening

Beds

Adopted

Colds

Dylan

Every Time

The Twins

Bugs

Flying

Willy

Football

Friendship

God’s World

Ghosts

Gossip

Grocery Shopping

Hair

Hawaii

Holidays

Housework

Huh?

I Can’t Make Up My Mind

I Remember

Las Vegas

Life

Life Today

ME, MYSELF AND I

Mother

My Dearest Friend

My Kitty

My Rubber Ducky

Never Too Old

Nurses

My Kitty (Part II)

Paperwork

Passion Flower

Patience

Penguins

Pumpkins

Rain

Rhymes

Sailing

Santa Claus

Saturday

Spring

Summer

The Beach

The Bluebird

The Book of Life

The Clock

The Doctor’s Office

The Empty Chair

The Family Man

The Lady

The Last Snowfall

The Musician

The Office

The Seduction

The Snowman

The Toilet Seat

The Wind

To My Valentine

Today

Vacation

War

Weeping Willow

Wild Flowers

You Just Can’t Do It?

Your Love

Chapter Two

A God Moment

The Man in My Computer

What a Mess!

Legends

Mother Nature

You

Judgment

A Birthday Gift

In The Real World

My special Friend

In Love with a Stranger

Why I Chose Water Oak for Retirement

To All the Friends I’ve Known

My Love for You

Wouldn’t it be Nice?

Cedar View

Imagine

A Prayer for the Sick

Neighbors

Myka

Traffic

Could It Be?

A Day without You

A Ghost in My House?

A Happy Christmas

A Troubled Mind

A Winter Day!

Christmas Dreams

Don’t You Know?

Christmas

Evan’s Song

Father Time

Growing Up

Happy Birthday to Me Polka

HE

How Could You?

I Didn’t Know!

I

Me and My Computer

Lovers

Love

I, You, Us

A Prayer for Kathy

What is Humbleness?

Where Have You Been?

Why?

I Hear a Polka

I Gave It All to You

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

Memories of You

Ode to Shirley

Hawaii

Political Correctness

My Faith

One Size Fits All

Silence

Snow

Our Savior

Rats

So I Can Love You

Music

Rooty Toot and Tooty Toot

My Children

I Knew

What If?

What a Miracle

You Were Here

You Told Me So

What Is A Friend?

The Jumping Jack Polka

Sometimes

Maybe Tomorrow

Maybe I Will

You Told Me That You Loved Me

Little Senorita

America

Farewell

Afterword

About The Author

Epigraph

Did I offer peace today?

Did I bring a smile to someone’s face?

Did I say words of healing?

Did I let go of my anger and resentment?

Did I forgive?

Did I love?

These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.

Henri Nouwen

Preface

One might say that my writing began on a DARE! One day at work, my friend and co-worker, told me I wrote beautiful letters, and suggested I go into my office and write something. I had never, ever considered writing.

After I sat for a moment, words started to flow into my mind, and on October 25, 1990, I ended up with my first poem entitled, Summer’s End. The words kept filtering into my mind, and they always seemed to rhyme. It was rather fun, so I continued writing, and wrote 80 poems, 23 of those in 6 days!

That is when and how my writing career began.

I retired in 1994 and my writing ended.

I never considered putting it into a book until years later.

Acknowledgement

A wonderful, big THANK YOU

To my wonderful family for all their support and patience

during the creation of this beautiful project.

They encouraged me, whenever I would doubt myself.

Without them, I am nothing!

Also, to all of my friends and neighbors who have read or

listened to my poetry, and encouraged me to ‘get it out there’.

Without them I might not have taken the next step to publishing.

Thank you ALL.

Introduction

One Size Fits All is a mixed bag of emotional poetry.

The author unleashes her feelings of warmth, compassion, tenderness, and love of life, as she delves into her passionate, story-telling rhymes. She writes of her youth, and compares it to today’s world. She writes what it was like to grow up in a large family. She expresses her intimate feelings and moods, as she speaks of nature, and the beautiful world in which we live.

The author writes with raw emotions as she tells stories of inspiration; as she speaks of GOD and motivation, as she tries to guide the reader down the right path. She writes with humor, charm, and sometimes fury, depending on the journey she is taking at that moment. She wrote with fury and passion, while expressing her powerful emotions regarding the anger and protests that occurred after the 2017 presidential election. (See Chapter Two)

Her titles encompass multiple genres and her words are sincere, factual, and honest (although her humorous poems are fantasy). Her personality shines as she writes fantasy that pops into her head, i.e., My Rubber Ducky, Rats, Housework, and Me, Myself, and I, to name a few.

The readers will experience many moods as they read her compelling subjects. She is very hopeful the reader will be moved, amused, inspired, motivated, and, perhaps, some poems will soothe the soul.

Awards from poetry contests and work published in various anthologies include:

• Creative Arts & Science Enterprises: (GHOSTS)

• (I REMEMBER),(WAR)

• World Poetry Movement: (PASSION FLOWER)

• International Who’s Who in Poetry 2012: (GOD’S WORLD)

• Great Poets Across America: (THE WIND)

• Poetry Unlimited: (TURN BACK THE PAGES)

• Poetry Press: (I REMEMBER),(PUMPKINS),(HOLIDAYS)

• Nashville International Song & Lyric Writing Competition: Directors Award for the song (DON’T).

• The National Library of Poetry: Published in The Other Side of Midnight.

• World of Poets Society: Award of Recognition certificates (3)

• World of Poetry: Award of Merit certificates (2) with Rank of Honorable Mention from their contest A Star Is Born.

• Parkland Press (a local newspaper): Published an article about my poetry in their local newspaper, and feature a poem a week in their opinion section.

• Expressions Audio CD: 2017, (THE BOOK OF LIFE)

Chapter One

Chapter one consists of 80 poems written in the early 90’s, when I was 55 years old. The genres are quite varied to appeal to all readers.

When reading over my work, I realized my words are a true reflection of the hope, love, joy, inspiration, heartaches, and passion, I have experienced in my life.

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Summer’s End

(My first poem)

The summer days were warm and soft, the sun a welcome sight;

You couldn’t wait to wander in the warm and balmy night.

The children loved to frolic in the pleasures of the day.

They didn’t know that very soon it all would go away.

The skies have darkened quite a bit; the clouds are rolling by;

You feel the warmth just drain away, as summer starts to die,

The heat gave way to cold and wind, and leaves are on the ground;

It won’t be long till winter’s here and snow is all around;

The days are getting shorter now and melting into fall.

The trees are bare and empty and are standing very tall.

They’re bracing for the winter storms that cover them with ice.

The snow and sleet and freezing rain don’t treat them