How To Be Happy
Photography, Poetry, The Parakeets | Posted by Jannie on 3 April 2012 @ 2:59 PM 59 Comments
tie your poems with spider silk
to the shoulders of yellow tulips
and wait for your socks to sing.
say your favorite word ten times
fast while spinning on a piano stool
that sailed on a tall ship from rome.
dance on stained-glass sidewalks
where painters are selling secrets
vangoghed with ribbons of rain.
sleep between sheets of music
on a pillow of mountain forest
under blankets of gypsy moon.
wake to the sound of silence
and pour it on the good things
already dangling around you.
a poem for dVerse Poetry Open Link Tuesday, week 38.
whoooooohoooooooooooooooooooo.
Angel’s the parakeet with the “eyelashes” and darker blue throat.
Timmy’s the singer.
Well, they both sing, but he usually jumps up to the microphone first and loudest.
xoxoxoxoxoxoox
On 3 April 2012 at 3:08 pm
poem said,
Love the whimsy and the pastiche of images.
On 3 April 2012 at 3:21 pm
Fred said,
Jannie, love the pictures. The cat is sizing up the possible ways to get to the cage-lol Excellent imagery in the poem, really enjoyed the post. Thanks
On 3 April 2012 at 3:25 pm
brian miller said,
not sure you are wanting to hear what my socks are singing at the end of the day…haha…love all the joy in your post and want to go find me some stained glass to dance on….
On 3 April 2012 at 3:34 pm
claudia said,
ha…that cat looks hungry…just saying…smiles
i love the tying of poems with spider silk
to the shoulders of yellow tulips….how cool is that….love it…
On 3 April 2012 at 3:40 pm
kelly said,
you just made me happy, reading this. i smiled all the way through. i love the playfulness, the magic of your words.
On 3 April 2012 at 3:47 pm
Daydreamertoo said,
Awwww….LOVE all of this!!
Your prose is so playful and filled with nature and love and the pictures are such a treat. Bet those birds love it outside. Wonderful Jannie!
On 3 April 2012 at 4:00 pm
yelena said,
’secrets vangoghed with ribbons of rain…’ – oh my, oh my, this line is the brightest poetic delight to me today..loved the pictures as well…thanks for a smile
On 3 April 2012 at 4:22 pm
wolfsrosebud said,
fun to read
On 3 April 2012 at 4:47 pm
ayala said,
How to be happy?….come to visit Jannie…her words will surely make anyone smile.
xoxo
On 3 April 2012 at 5:05 pm
Nara Malone said,
Hey Jannie,
I so enjoy the fun, bright love of life that shines through in everything you write. I feel like I’m breathing sunshine when I drop by your blog. Think I’ll go tie my poems up with spider silk to the shoulders of yellow tulips
On 3 April 2012 at 5:15 pm
Pat Hatt said,
Looking like they are enjoying their time out, although the kitty will have them one day, not giving up..hahaha
On 3 April 2012 at 5:20 pm
Dr. J said,
You know in that photo of the caged birds, their wooden play thing looks like the fur from the cat! Probably their parakeet fantasy!!
On 3 April 2012 at 5:22 pm
Ruth said,
magical thoughts on how to be happy
“tie your poems with spider silk
to the shoulders of yellow tulips
and wait for your socks to sing.”
how very beautiful – I shall try it, see if I don’t
and I love the ideas of sleeping between sheets of music
On 3 April 2012 at 5:39 pm
Laura Hegfield said,
My favorite verse: “dance on stained-glass sidewalks
where painters are selling secrets
vangoghed with ribbons of rain.” LOVE this imagery Jannie!
On 3 April 2012 at 5:42 pm
Jannie said,
Whoooohoooooo!~
POEMBLAZE! Pastiche — that sounds like it would taste light, sweet fluffy and good. Like a Danish?
Ahh, Googled — a potpourri, conglomeration of sorts — thanks for giving me a new word!
FRED! It was the first day I had the birds out, maybe 3 mornings ago. And Mieshka was quite curious.
BRIAN! I had forgotten about that aspect of socks!
TG it’s sandals time now.
CLAUDIA! And I think those tulip shoulders are plenty skinny? But their heads are nice and chubby.
KELLY! that is quite lovely of you to say, thanks. Just start with a verb and see where it goes, I say.
DAYDREAMERTOO! They do indeed, LOVE it out there. Nice and shady. Not too hot this time of year. Plenty of other birds to sing with. And Jannie likes it too!!
YELENA! Hi and thanks. It was a fun twist to make a verb out of a painter’s name. I originally tried Monet, but it looked too short for the line.
WOLFSROSEBUD! Well, that makes me happy to hear. Fun is good. In this, and all other neighborhoods.
AYALA! Ooooo, you get a gold star in my heart for your comment. I am happy when I read your poems too.
NARA! Oh my goodness, now that just plumb (plum?) makes me blush over here in Austin. And did you? Tie your poems to the tulips???
PAT! Well, you know I gotta catch those Kodak moments for you all, but 99.9% of the time Mieshka does not bother with them. Still, I’d never trust her alone with them.
DR. J. ! That’s funny. That is actually a gnawing toy, and they chewed those holes clear through it! Really a great toy for them, keeps them amused and their beaks in shape.
RUTH! Ahhh, thanks SO much! Yes, I liked when the sheets of music came to me. Could really see a great visual for that with the staves and notes on the Eqyptian cotton night coccoon.
LAURA! My dear. I picture YOU dancing on those sidewalks, and laughing. Then grabbing a wonderful snack and drink in a piazza cafe close by with your nearest and dearest.
xooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
On 3 April 2012 at 7:00 pm
Anna Montgomery said,
How do you make Van Gogh even more wonderful? You turn him into a verb! So many delightful lines; I think you are good for the soul. You can spider silk wrap my poetic heart anytime.
On 3 April 2012 at 7:47 pm
zongrik said,
i like the thought of dancing on a stained glass sidewalk. imagine if all sidewalks were that beautiful and translucent
opportunity on mars
On 3 April 2012 at 7:54 pm
Vernon Wildy, Jr said,
Nice imagery and wordplay. Realy liked the playful tone of the whole piece.
On 3 April 2012 at 8:18 pm
Liara Covert said,
Love the song that goes…’don’t worry be happy!’ Happiness is what exists so long as you do not distract your attention from it. Love, L xo
On 3 April 2012 at 9:21 pm
Ravenblack said,
Thanks for the tips! Think I’ll try.
I love the conclusion — that is truly the stuff of joy. Cheers to you Jannie!
On 3 April 2012 at 10:20 pm
Patti said,
I love your recipe for happiness, Jannie. And the picture of the cat gazing with… um, admiration at the birds is priceless.
On 3 April 2012 at 11:23 pm
J.D. Meier said,
> spinning on a piano stool
I haven’t done that in so, so long.
It’s true. Some of the best things in life … spin.
On 4 April 2012 at 3:18 am
Abdul Renish said,
Nice photography, its cool and nature nourishing.
Indian flag is flying in the ship:)
On 4 April 2012 at 4:51 am
BK said,
Just looking at that cat!
Good to be back here again.
On 4 April 2012 at 5:25 am
Barbara Swafford said,
Hi Jannie Girl,
I’m dropping by to say “Happy Birthday”. I hope ALL of your birthday wishes come true and I hope your year is filled with many blessing.
xo
On 4 April 2012 at 6:11 am
Lynn said,
How to be happy – just come to Jannie’s blog! xoxoxo Love your poem, Jannie Muffin.
On 4 April 2012 at 7:47 am
Rosemary Nissen-Wade aka SnakyPoet said,
I love this magickal piece!
On 4 April 2012 at 7:48 am
Daisy said,
I’m still waiting for my socks to sing!
Love the poem and the photos, Jannie. Happy Easter to you and yours.
On 4 April 2012 at 8:25 am
jared said,
Wonderful way to start my day. Great pics.
Love this part:
wake to the sound of silence
and pour it on the good things
already dangling around you.
Thank you.
On 4 April 2012 at 9:17 am
Jannie said,
Hey, y’all!!!
Guess who’s having a birthday today?
Yep, Jannie — as Barbara pointed out, whooohooo.
All I’m gonna do today is blogging, songwriting and start the dishwasher.
Oh, thinking I’m gonna wash my hair and make it all nice and fluffy too.
ANNA! I KNOW — a verb. Who knew??
And you are good for MY soul. Life really is awesome.
ZONGRIK! Yes, just as long as that stained-glass could withstand all the traffic and never scuff or break.
VERNON! Thank you. We at Funsterment Global do make play a top priority.
LIARA!! That’s it. And I’ve not heard that song in a while but it is a good ‘un for sure.
RAVENBLACK! Yes, all we have to do is be grateful for the blessing we already have, indeed.
PATTI!! Nice new gravatar, great to see you. And I’ll be waking up the birds after I post this. Nice day for the back deck again.
J.D. I used to spend HOURS on Mom’s piano stool. Probably couldn’t hack much of that these days. We went to a carnical last week and even the Tilta-Whirl threw me for a queasy loop.
ABDUL! Seriously? On my post, 2 posts back that is the Indian flag? How cool! And thanks for popping in.
BK!! It is you, how cool. AWESOME GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN!! Yep, we have 2 cats now. The 2 dogs. And now 2 parakeets!
BARBARA!! Thank you so much. Always great to see you. Oooo and an xo — I’m honored, whooohooo!
LYNN!! Why thank you Miss Lynnie-Binnie. And happiness is YOUR blog, of course.
ROSEMARY SNAKY POET!! Thanks a bunch. I loved writing it, so fun just to start with a verb and see it sail where it will.
DAISY!! Well, are they at least humming? Or whistling?
Sometimes they sing silently, yet pass the good energy on to you.
HEY JARED! I see you are all about happiness! Yes indeed, happiness is loving what we already have.
And Jannie is off to finish “Everybody’s Beautiful” today. Yes, I know you’re heard that BEFORE, but this time it really truly is really true!! Those lyrics are calling softly to me today.
xooxoxoxoxoxo
On 4 April 2012 at 12:09 pm
Mama Zen said,
I love that third stanza! What a gorgeous image!
On 4 April 2012 at 12:10 pm
colleen said,
I love the idea of sleeping between sheets of music! And I might add:
___________________
If you are quiet
be loud
If you are loud
be quiet
___________________
Don’t laugh
if you don’t get the joke
Don’t cheat
Wear red
_____________________
If you are generous
be frugal
If you are frugal
be generous
___________________
Give away
all your poor fitting clothes
Give up your place in line
___________________
It’s okay to ask
for directions
There is no bush to beat around
__________________
Fall asleep smiling
Don’t set an alarm
Wake up on the wrong side
of the bed
_________
On 4 April 2012 at 1:39 pm
Hilary said,
Hi Jannie .. if you’re Timmy cry in your heart while your mind dreams of parakeets above .. no spider silk for him he just wants an Angel lolly while he lies in his hammock of woven cotton and sings himself contentedly to sleep …
Cheers Jannie .. Happy Easter .. all well here & no change .. Hardwick is splitting underneath – might have to do something soon! Poor Hardwick a hug from BB is due .. bye bye for now …. Hilree xoxoxox
On 4 April 2012 at 5:33 pm
Jennifer Susannah Devore said,
In fact, I did once sail in a tall ship, in high seas and spun ’round and ’round and ’round, repeating a fave word, at the very least, ten times … sailing bad, cursing good. Grog better.
Cheers, Miss Jannie, Folk Monster
On 4 April 2012 at 10:09 pm
Jannie said,
Thank you, Dear Mama Z. I inhaled the breath of heaven’s violins when vangogh became a verb, but then again, he and we are.
COLLEEN!!! That is beautifully, breath-takingly wonderful gorgeous!!!!!!!! Did you write that? And funny — I WAS totallywearing red pants earlier when I read your comment for the first time! Yep, my velour stretchy ones, the ones Kalyani gave me, but getting too hot for that, now that summer’s tuning up. I agree with not cheating! And no lying, stealing or bearing fasle witness. I SHALL fall asleep with a smile tonight. But shoot, gotta be up at 6:30, as usual. Could I be so bold as to not set my alarm? I’ll have to think on that.
DEAR COMMENTER #33, aka HILARY!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, poor Hardwick. Is his stuffing falling out? That jsut won’t do! Well, that’s a 3rd Happy Easter for me. I do plan an Easter post for Friday. Just need some bunny ears for some pix. xooxxo
JENNIFER!!!!FABULOUS new gravatar!!!!!!!!!! Just stunning. You are a femme fatale beyond comparison, aka an “FFBC!” Now what did you say…..? Oh yes, I was seasick on the ferry from Fortune, Newfoundland to St. Pierre. But I’m almost over it now, I think. That was back in 1985.
Loved your mini-poem of a comment.
xooxoxoxooxoxox
On 5 April 2012 at 4:00 am
SnaggleTooth said,
Looks like Mieshka is addicted to your birds… When my socks start singing it’s time to wash them. I can’t spin with up spitting up- my darn allergy sinuses! Making stained-glass sidewalks sounds like a great art project- I like pouring Sounds of Silence on everything so I can think sometimes. I like this poem- so much going on in the bird-cage…
Happy Belated B-Day!
Hope you were so happy …
On 5 April 2012 at 5:17 pm
Buddah Moskowitz (@ihatepoetry) said,
Magic, this was. Great advice too.
On 5 April 2012 at 7:16 pm
Alice Audrey said,
Now I want to trade in my piano bench for a piano stool.
On 5 April 2012 at 9:13 pm
Jannie said,
SNAGGLE! I know what you mean on the spinning. We were lucky enough to go to a carnival the other night, and I was done did-in by Tilt-a-Whirl. A couple weeks ago an an open mike Anna Bee played and sang Sounds Of Silence, nice singer she. Yes, a busy little cage. They do hop around. THANKS!! I’m 48 now, holy cow.
BUDDAH!! I can’t think of any better advice than being happy with what you have in any given moment. The Now is THE place to be.
ALICE AUDREY, do you find that as you’ve gotten a little older you can spin less. I sure do. When I play with Kelly I get sick if we play spinning games. Too bad. In my teens and 20s I could stay on The Zipper for half a day. Now just looking up at it makes me want to puke.
oxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
On 6 April 2012 at 4:15 am
Hilary said,
Hi Jannie .. yes poor Hardwick – a stitch in time is due .. I’ll take my tools up with me I think this weekend ..
Happy Easter and yes the 3rd one – how amazing …. big hugs xoxxoo H
On 6 April 2012 at 2:17 pm
Sara said,
Once again, your words danced off my tongue as I read them to myself and Aggie, my cat. She twinkled her sleepy eyes at me — she gets happiness much than I do:~)
Your opening pictures is priceless. Do the parakeets interact with the cat at all?
I have a squirrel who climbs on the screen on my porch. He’s realized Aggie can get to him so sometimes he stops and turns upside down so he facing her, chatters a bit and takes off. I love it:~)
Have a good weekend with lots of songs in your heart, Jannie:~)
On 7 April 2012 at 2:14 pm
ed pilolla said,
you have such a lively, colorful voice and imagination. i dance through your poems with a smile on my face. gypsy moon and ribbons of rain were my favorites among many to choose from.
On 8 April 2012 at 7:57 am
sheila said,
Loooooooooooooove this! And wow, what great pics! I love the cat one, omgosh, lol!
On 8 April 2012 at 10:18 am
Jannie said,
Hi Hils — did you get out your sewing basket? Oh,and I see I relaly meant a 3rd Happy Birthday.
Sara, your squirrel sounds ery fun. No, no real interaction. Sometimes in the morning Mieshka will hop up on th counter at cage cleaning time and get a closer look at Timmy and Angel. I think the novelty has worn off mostly.
Ed, ahhhh, thanks so much. I LOVE your poems too, always fun twists and turns, always inventive, always wonderfully YOU!
Sheila — you ZEN one you, yes this is a great poem for YOU, thee of enlightened wonderment. Thanks so much for popping on in again.
xooxoxoxoxoxoxo
On 8 April 2012 at 12:21 pm
Hilary said,
Hi Jannie .. yup the sewing basket got up there – one stage further on .. probably I’ll give him a tummy tuck tomorrow ..
Happy Birthday – obviously I got my wires crossed – so easy to do .. very late realising and not switched on at all ..
Must write some more castles now .. UVW .. before the day disappears .. Hope you’re having a lovely Easter and looking oh so pretty in a frock ..
Hugs xoxoxox
On 8 April 2012 at 4:19 pm
Jannie said,
Ahhhhh, you’re writing of castles, Hilary? Places near and dear to my heart, especially when I think of the food the chefs would cook for me in them.
Nope, MY wires crossed, not yours at all.
Could you please give me a tummy tuck too? And new hair, toenail paint and perfect muscles without ever having to exercise??
and make the mosquitoes go away?
Thanks!!
Xxoo
On 9 April 2012 at 2:41 am
Hilary said,
Hi Jannie .. my curved upholstery needle us up there, as too my blanket stitch needle .. and some pretty coloured threads – but I think Hardwick would be upset to be ‘tarted’ up .. so I’ll pick something plain – and hope I can cobble him together poor chap. When I’ve practised my stitches, and I can do neat patterns I’ll whizz down the tube and give you a stitch in time .. I’ll remember the perfect muscles – not sure about the rainbow selection toe paint .. and new hair – when I’ve found some for me .. I’ll bring you some over!
Oh and you’ve got mozzies … not nice .. red itches .. bugs are abounding at the moment .. look after yourself and have a good week off school with Kelly, friends and family … xoxoxox hugs too – H
On 9 April 2012 at 12:56 pm
Jannie said,
Hey, Hils. They don’t have a long Easter break over here as in the UK, just Monday and Friday, plus the weekend. Tomorrow she goes back.
You are one of the few who knows to spell practise with the letter s, not the c when it’s in verb form. Good going! Always impressed with a good speller.
BB says Hardwick ought to come visit via the tube. He’s leftover Easter choccy.
Xxoo
On 11 April 2012 at 11:06 am
Shawna said,
This is my favorite poem in the whole wide world.
These are my favorite lines:
“tie your poems with spider silk”
“dance on stained-glass sidewalks”
“where painters are selling secrets”
“vangoghed with ribbons of rain”
“under blankets of gypsy moon”
I’m advertising you today:
http://rosemarymint.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/i-dont-usually-do-this-but/
On 11 April 2012 at 11:15 am
De Jackson said,
Yes.
Yes.
YES.
(I’ll have what she’s having.)
Spider silk and spun piano stools and singing socks and sheet music naps.
And verbed “vangoghed.”
Yes, please.
Stalking you, immediately.
Thanks.
de
(whimsy gizmo)
On 11 April 2012 at 11:21 am
De Jackson said,
Hellllllp! I can’t find your “Follow” button!
On 11 April 2012 at 12:17 pm
Jannie said,
SHAWNA — Oh my goodness. What have you done over thre in Shawna land? Thank you for whatever it is.
De Jackson — why thanks so much! I LOVE WORDS, and always have!! As is probably the same with you. Yeah, I used to have a subscribe button, sorry it’s missing. I guess putting it back up might be good. Just add me to your faves!!
And stalk away, Whimsy Gizmo! 
xooxox
On 11 April 2012 at 1:04 pm
De Jackson said,
Done. Faved you be.
On 11 April 2012 at 1:11 pm
De Jackson said,
PS: I have also Tweeted and LinkedIned and Facebooked the heck out of you.
I figure all writers need to hear this today.
On 11 April 2012 at 4:02 pm
Pamela Smyk Cleary said,
http://wanponpopix.blogspot.com/
Lovely this one! (Thanks to De for passing it along!) Looking forward to reading more!
On 11 April 2012 at 4:03 pm
Pamela Smyk Cleary said,
Ooops! Sorry! Put my blog name in the comments — instead of the blog spot. (Never could follow directions.)
On 12 April 2012 at 9:19 am
kd sullivan said,
I love this poem. It’s so fanciful!!!
On 16 April 2012 at 5:36 pm
Davina Haisell said,
Jannie, this poem was beautiful!! Absolutely magical. It sparkles!
On 17 April 2012 at 9:15 am
Jannie said,
Thanks again SO much for popping in. Sorry I didn’t make time to answer each and every comment as I’d hoped.
I look forward to getting around to y’all’s blogs this week.
THANKS!!
DAVINA — NICE new gravatar.
xoxooxoxoxoxoxo