Poem Written After A Night Of Songwriting, Laughter & Sweet Leaf Tea
Poetry | Posted by Jannie on 20 January 2012 @ 10:10 AM 21 Comments
I’d like an old woman
to wrap my tired shoulders
in a shawl of sleepy seaweed.
I’d like the seaweed to wrap
all my Christmas presents this year
in yellow pansies and cedar shingles.
I’d like my shingles to hold fast
through days and nights of snow
and dusty misplaced bedroom slippers.
I’d like my bedroom slippers to be
made from Doc Marten leather that
has danced in Australia at least twice.
I’d like Australia to move a little closer
to Texas, and I suppose with tectonic shifts,
Australia soon will be at my front door knocking.
I want Milo to open my front door
and step robustly inside, leaving his
wet umbrella out on the bottom step.
I want my bottom step to welcome
all peoples from all lands and invite them
in for tea and poached eggs on toast tomorrow.
I want tomorrow to be as awesome as
this moment seems to be for me, here after
midnight still up with the aroma of earlier burgers.
I want my burgers to all be organic,
on softest nine-grain buns, with dashes
and lashes of relish from an old woman’s fridge.
I want an old woman’s fridge to be full
of apples, celery, carrots, and walnuts
and I want her to invite me to lunch daily.
And if she felt so inclined to pop in with Milo,
take up my broom and waltz around with it until all
the dust was in the old cast iron frying pan, I wouldn’t mind.
And if the frying pan should marry the vacuum
cleaner to the dishwasher I wouldn’t mind that either.
I’d only mind if I forgot to let Milo open the door to your heart.
~~ end of poem
When I was a teen I thought that Pete Townsend song went ”Let Milo Open The Door.”
Years later I realized the lyric was actually “Let My Love Open The Door.”
Sweet Leaf Tea — made right here in Austin, Texas, USA, whooooohoooooo!!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
On 20 January 2012 at 11:37 am Aimee said,
I love those mistaken lyric moments! So you busted out a bunch of new songs?
On 20 January 2012 at 11:42 am Lynn said,
What a wonderful poem dedicated to Milo opening the door to your heart. Love that. You have quite an imagination there.
p.s. Poached eggs on toast is my favorite weekend breakfast.
xo
On 20 January 2012 at 1:09 pm Pat Hatt said,
Sending out the grooves, with such fun combinating the daily sights, but dust in the frying pan? Wouldn’t it be easier to throw it in the garabage can..haha
On 20 January 2012 at 5:33 pm sheila said,
Awww I was just gonna write that I thought this was really cute and I loved how you started a new line with the end of an old one… but then you put the blurb in there about Milo and I got a chuckle! Reminds me of when Phoebe from “Friends” thought Elton John’s song said “Hold me closer Tony Danza”… LOL
hahahaha
Have a great weekend Jannie!
On 20 January 2012 at 6:53 pm ayala said,
Jannie, these lines…I’d like an old woman
love it!!!!!!!!!!!
to wrap my tired shoulders
in a shawl of sleepy seaweed…..
made me feel such a cozy feeling…and I love this journey you took us on. Thanks for the footnote
On 20 January 2012 at 7:02 pm Ravenblack said,
Awesome chaining — the end of each leading to the next. Hope you get all you wish for!
On 20 January 2012 at 7:28 pm Daisy said,
Jannie that was so much fun to read. You always make me smile. Happy weekend to you! Hugs from Daisy.
On 20 January 2012 at 9:52 pm Paul said,
I like all the details and imagery used in the poem – so much! this is specially useful when writing lyrics too – makes me feel like I’m right there! additionally, i like how some of the paragraphs connect! nice work!
On 21 January 2012 at 7:59 am brian said,
trying to think what the offspring of a frying pan and a vacuum might look like…ha….sounds like you ripped some new songs eh?
On 21 January 2012 at 9:47 am Jannie said,
Hey Sweet Aimee, well I was over at Ryan’s Wednesday night, he’s our piano-playing genius and we just got to being silly and in the moment creating tunes as we went. he recorded some of the session. Bet it sounds pretty funny. Today I am actually working on background harmony bits for the current tunes.
Hey Sweet Lynn, I had beef soup for brekkie today but tomorrow will for sure be my poached eggs on toast. And the eggs are from a chicken coop about 4 streets over. I like to put 3 eggs on 2 pieces of toast.
Hey Dear Pat Hatt, well those words just popped out about the dust in the frying pan so I had to honor my muse, else she snubbed me and would send no more crazy images in the future.
Hey, Sweet Sheila hold me closer Tony Danza is a bit of a stretch, I think.
Funny tho. And can you believe I’ve NEVER watches a Freinds, Desperate Housewives, CSI, or Sex In The City. True.
Hey, Sweet Ayala — I am soooooo glad you got the coziness from this. And maybe that old woman will massage my feet too. Maybe I will be that old lady one day!! Yes you liked the Milo footnote?!
RAVENBLACK!! Sorry I’ve been absent from blog-reading. I do think of you! My mind sure was on a roll that night. Fun!
DAISY Sweet Dear, and it ALWAYS brings a cozy feeling to my hear that you’ve read my post and commented thank you.
PAUL!! I see you are a songwrite too, whooohooo. Well, my mind does tend to wander, but I’m happy it does, and even happier when I’m able to write it down. AWESOME to have you pop in, thanks!
BRIAN! Yes, let me think for a moment what that pairing would look like.A frying pan and a dish washer. Actually, I can’t quite imagine.
xoxooxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxooxoxo
On 22 January 2012 at 2:10 am Caity said,
That is such an amazing poem, Jannie!
I love mistaken song lyrics. I sing the wrong lyrics all the time so I can just keep singing. I would rather make up my own lyrics instead of not sing at all!
On 23 January 2012 at 6:57 am secret agent woman said,
Milo! That’s great. I love mis-heard song lyrics.
On 23 January 2012 at 7:02 am Hilary said,
Hi Jannie .. knitting seaweed and now seaweed wrapped – you are sea deprived.
If you go back 200 million years ago to the Triassic Age – Austen and Aus might nearly be touching .. moving forward – I’d be somewhat unsure!
Love the poem with all the memories it conjures, yet those memories of yore – an old lady wrapped in her crochet shawl … kelp dripped perhaps. Did you know they quilted seaweed and used it for Scott’s trip to the South Pole – 100 years ago .. seaweed has amazing properties .. let alone the health ones.
Good to know they’re making such delicious looking tea in Austen .. I’m trying my Christmas tea bags now – interesting tastes … but loved the scent they gave off around the room …
Lunchtime – goody – I’m hungry .. though no burgers .. more your salad bar – but no seaweed … have a great week .. cheers Hilary
On 23 January 2012 at 7:33 am Dr. J said,
Watch out, Paula Deen thinks that sweet tea is the main reason she has diabetes
On 23 January 2012 at 11:02 am Jannie said,
CAITY!! Here’s to you singing! Which you do so beautifully with your magical
voice.
SECRET AGAIN WOMAN!! yeah, I love that one. And I still sing it Milo, not My Love!!
HILARY!! I’ve been thinking about YOU, of course!!! I am sea deprived.
But always there in the ocean of my mind. Yes, this is true — in Pangea Australia WAS in my backyard! 
Quilted seaweed — wow! No, I had no idea. Very interesting. THAT will I Google. I did see “The Discovery,” in Dundee — that had been far far South. In fact, locked all winter in the ice, as I recall. Hope you ate well?? 
And a cup of tea sounds stellar for later. I’m still sipping my coffee, which has gone cold, but I don’t mind.
DR.J.!! Well, you’lll be surprised to hear this — I have been OFF sugar for like, 5 days. And feeling great. I imagine I’ve developed an allergy, or intolerance. My maternal grandmother developed late onset diabetes, so I best be taking care of me NOW! I actually only drank about half a bottle, due to my new potential sugar revelation. I’m even off sunscreen. Yes, sunscreen. I might try Alba Botanicals again, I like it years ago. Now the chemicals and gunk are making me red and itchy. Plus, my skin probably appreciates the chance to do what comes naturally with the melanin.
THANKS, ALL!!!
xooxoxoxo
On 23 January 2012 at 12:07 pm Hilary said,
Hi Jannie .. excellent – Quilted Seaweed .. I came up 2nd and third!!
Also you wanted to know about Fibonacci ..
Both see the last two posts .. enjoy them .. oh – particularly watch the video on the Fibonacci one – only 3.44 minutes – but you will be mesmerised.
Cheers from across the pond .. warm here! xoxoxoxo hugs from us Hilreexoxox
On 24 January 2012 at 4:16 pm Linda said,
Well I can see I neglected to leave my two cents worth here, so here I am playing catch up again. I love the poem and how one verse leads to the next, and that to the next. I did wonder who Milo was, but I understand now. It is funny how we hear things sometimes.
On 25 January 2012 at 3:41 am SnaggleTooth said,
Wow, I was really wondering who Milo was all the way thru that!
Your witty poem goes a long journey to open that door… Glad I finally had time to read it- another fun one. Good old Pete Townsend n the Pinball Wizard… I was Just discussing “Tommy” with another about my age at work yesterday-
My Mom took a journey to Australia n NZ that took 18 hours of flying to get too. It’d be great to go there magically n avoid all that travel time. Kinda like in “Stargate”…
On 26 January 2012 at 4:35 pm Jannie said,
Hilree!!! IS that fibonnaci code? I will check later. Warm here too, but so nice when the sun goes down. You are awesome!!! Your posts sound great. I’ve beeen so so so so busy of late, I’ve only read and commented on like, 3 blogs in the past week.
LINDA~!! Yay, the Milo Mystery solved!!
Gonna get over to your blog soon, I bet! Been songwriting and eBaying a lot — almost like I have a Real Job now.
SNAGGLE!!! Well….. the Wise Ones say we can teleport anywhere anytime, so Australia is surely always in our minds and hearts.
WOW — your mom was such an amazing woman. How long did she stay over there? just vacationing, or visiting folks? Or both? Yes, Milo…. so silly. I stilllove singing it that way. 
And you know what?? I just for the first time ever saw the video for PinBall Wizard a few weeks ago. Man, he could SING that tune!!!!!!!
xoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxo
On 6 February 2012 at 7:49 pm sandy said,
Love your poem – now I will go read it again…it’s really wonderful.
I just found an old book in a draw – A Light in the Attic by Shel
Silverstein.
It a way, your poem reminds me of the style he would write.
On 9 February 2012 at 2:28 pm Jannie said,
Oh thanks, Sandy. Sorry. I did not see you until now.
So glad you liked this!! It was crazy-fun to write.
xoxoxo
whooooooooooooooooooohooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo