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1995 PASQUE PETALS SitCE MAY 1926 Dr. J.C. Lindberg, Founder and Editor, 1926-1937 Rudolph G. Ruste, Co-Founder Dr. Adeline Jenney, Editor, 1937-1971, Editor Emeritus 1971-1973 Gertrude Wetster Abbot, Interim Editor 1971-1974, Editor Emeritus 1974-1989 Dorothy I. Davie, Editor September 1974-1983 Editor Emeritus and Consultant 1983- SOUTH DAKOTA STATE POETRYSOCIETY Organized October 5, 1927, at Huron, S.D. Registered as a nonprofit corporation, September 22, 1970 with Sec. of State Pierre, S.D.

EDIIDR-Barbara Stevens 909 E 34th St. Sioux Falls SD 57105 Audrae Visser, Elkton, SD Poet Laureate Maria Bakkum--Historian

MEMBERSHIP/SUBSCRIPl'ION"AS OF MAY 1, 1995 REGUIARMEMBERS--$20--Subscription to PASQUE PETALS and membership in STATE SOC. and NATIONAL FEDERATIONOF STATE POETRY SOCIETIES included. MFMBERSreceive the publication STROPHES and may enter annual NFSPS contests at less cost than for non-members. PATRON MEMBERS--$30.00per year GIFr MEMBERSHIPS--purchasedby members for $15.00 SUSTAIN!~ MErtiBERS--$25.00above the regular $20 membership. JUNIOR MEMBERS--$5.00 {students under 18 yrs old) FOREIGN MEMBERS--$25.00

Subscriptions should be sent to MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN--VerlyssV. Jacobson, Box 398, Lennox, SD 57039. CHECKS should be made out to SDSPS. ALL MEMBERSHIPSARE DUE MAY 1st. Single Copy of PASQUEPETALS $2.00

PASQUEPETALS accepts 1st rights only. Rights return to the author. Poetry accepted from all rcembers and ex-South Dakotans.

VOWME69 FEBRUARY 1995 NUMBER7

THEGIFr The tinsel hangs in disarray. Jenny helped trim the tree today. With love she draped the shiny strands clutched tightly in her tiny hands. Tonight she knelt on chubby knees to thank the I.Drd for Christmas trees, while looking down on tousled curls, I thanked him too, for little girls. Bernice Bunny Cameron, Crofton, NE

PUZZLEDWISE MEN Valentine's Day is light and fluffy, It is a po\\Oer puff of a day. Who can tell if love will last, when we hold on to the past. Today is special, holding its gifts of sharing love and activities. Wise Men try to find reasons for the heart to act certain ways. But no one can tell a person, that love can grow nnre precious and blossom like a rosebud into a beautiful rose, full of petals, not ready to wither or die until neglect makes it fade away.

Eve Jeanette Blotun, New York, NY 130 Pasque Petals

TIMES OFSCMING (A Smith sonnet) '!he maples broadcast seeds in twos and threes, in scores, in clouds of whirling, single blade, miniature propellers that clog grass and make the street a tan and tarvy strip. I wince at every crunch of shoes and tires; those tiny pods will never climb to trees to harbor birds or speak through leaves to men, yet one in thousands may find ground to root. Although the years brought sowing times to me, my days of planting now lie far behind; I cannot say how much of me I sowed has shouldered up to green or leafed to gold. But I see blossoming in eyes and smiles and blooms of love beyond a thousand miles.

Henry W. Colebank, Coleman, MI --:::CJ _:::-- AGATHA--LIBRARIAN

I think that I shall never be As lithe and limber as a tree. To dance and bend in every breeze Is far beyond these creaky knees. I envy girls with willow forms Who exercise like trees in storms And jog on down the street in style At ease with every pounding mile. How lovely is their leafing grace 'Mid rays of sunshine on each face. Each flags her tresses in the breeze That pollen-laden makes me sneeze. Oh, I shall surely never be "As freely supple as a tree; But then a blessed lovely tree Will never think and write like me.

Barbara Sherrard Morgan, Brainerd, MN February 1995 131

PIECES OF ParrERY

I am frag~nts of pottery from down by the Missouri, shards of a clay pot, handmade and etched by Rees. I am what's left of the tribe, pieces of what once was a whole. Slowly, I try to put it together this fragile pot of usefulness. Red clay, etched, shaped by brown hands.

Marcia Roberts, Alice, TX :-C) ~ HOLLY'S RESTAURANT two little old ladies waiting to be seated one touched the other and pointed to the sign PLEASE SEAT YOURSELVES they looked at each other smiled and walked in one glanced back touched the other and pointed to the back of the PLEASE WAIT TO BE SEATED they looked at each other smiled and walked out two little old ladies waiting to be seated

Lynell Gunderson, Brookings 132 Pasque Petals

UJNCH HOUR IN THE SKYWAY Footsteps, voices stampede through my leisure. Too late to meander. It's feeding time, for sure.

Up the ramp Clippity-clop, clippity-clop. Flashing heels, whirling skirts, I hippity-hop. Outta the way! Heavy shoes now plonk plink plonk plonk. Gripping the rail, I try to shrink. Then duck into a shop, Peer out, as the last ones charge by. I wipe my brow and nod a "thank you" toward the sky.

These covered walks are fine for too much cold or too much sun. But for an old ex-farm lady, to get trampled is no fun.

Cathryn E. Sundal!, St. Paul, MN ?:ex A TRIBUTETO A DEARFRIEND

Those whom the Gods love die young it's said, But we know one with Life more spent, A gentle man, who loved the land and all things living, For love of felloWllEn was giving, ever g1v1ng.• • He, it was, for love we would have kept, For love, they took him And we are left bereft. Peggy Netcott, Sandford, England February 1995 133

DEAREST SYLVIA, ON YOUR 39THBIRI'HDAY The light around your eyes speaks of new loveliness, of fresh dreams IlX)re fulfilling than sapphires.

Louis J. Cantoni, Detroit, MI

'...... C) ::::,-- PRAIRIE PORT DE BRAS If you stand on the rutted gravel road and look across the dusty abandoned farmyard you will notice the weary old house reaching gracefully over to one side like a prairie ballerina. And you will wonder about the old dancer and imagine her as a young beauty fresh makeup--no wrinkles rather than the ash gray weathered skin stretched now across the creaking bones. You might think of the stories she danced stories of families who worked, played and loved and have now disappeared into the dusty library of past performamces. And generations will remember this dancer, perhaps come back one crisp autumn day to visit yearning for one last look remembering lessons learned and love shared. For the ballerina's heart and spirit remain, even now, on this vast stage. Yet, sadly, there will be no fountain of youth discovered and one day she will dance her swan song a soft prairie breeze closing the curtain for the last time ever so gently and respectfully and the stage will embrace and const.nne her. Mary Elizabeth Harding, Irvine, CA 134 Pasque Petals

HCMTHE WESTWAS WON It was the horse--the horse, I said! The now discarded quadruped, It was the horse who won the West So put all current talk to rest Tho men and guns now have the credit, It was the horse who really did it. No historian can doubt it. The West could not be won without it. Horses conveyed in pristine days. Settlers here thru perilous ways. In all of life's diurnal courses Folks depended on their horses. In frothy sweat they ploughed the fields, In triurrph bringing home their yields. They took their folks to Sunday meetings For hunting game or social greetings. They carried mai and pulled the stages Thru summer's heat and winter's rages.

No one in these times realized That West would soon be mechanized And horses left to run the plains Unshod with unkerrpt tails and manes Or ridden in some western show Or ignominious rodeo Or chased and slaughtered for their meat that's ground and canned for pets to eat. Robert Godfrey, North Platte, NE ~~?~ BABY Single mirror image Of two identities, An earthly glirrpse Of inurortality. God's love reborn In posterity. - Maria Veronica Bakkum. Sioux Falls February 1995 135 GOLDFISH Said the one "Let us find a way out let us explore" Said the other "We are goldfish we live in a bowl" "But," said the one "There nust be a crack a door a soul" They never found the one or his soul but he swam far. Wayne Porter, St. Lawrence ?:CJ~ SONNET XCVII I. VI The winds of Janus drive the stinging snow Across Dakota field and farm and town: Warm blooded creatures seek a place to go Before their nnrtal therIOOstat runs down. Weak humanoids, held hostage by the flu Germs, nestle deeper into down and wool, While sneeze and cough erupt as if on cue, And fevers ride the Tylenol to "cool." But then a form comes plodding through the mist. Braving the threats of temperature and plague, To rescue us fran woe, to bring us zest: Bread for the day and soup to stem the ague. We send a word of praise to neighbors good Who make our spirits glow with rcore than food. Alma Reinecke, Sioux Falls ~~ Morning breaks with promise soon reality will come day's end is welcomed. Mary Grothe, Sioux Falls 136 Pasque Petals

MY COMPANIONS ASI WALK IN THE RAIN ominous rustlings overhead, low, heavy-misted, grey skies, m::>isture impregnated trees that reach up in praise of God, small rivulets coursing the road, rain dance lavabos everywhere, txishes with crystal tiaras in their hair; dulled white bloan of wild yarrow, harebells embellishing jasper walls, scattered morning-glory chalices to drink up the dew, cold, clear gems in emerald grass, numerous weeds ••• food source of birds' future needs. LaVerle Stevens, Sioux Falls ~ ~/ ~ WHEN ARE YOU I don't think when you aren't here. I feel errpty when you're gone. I'm lost when you aren't beside me. I have a sad smile when you're away. I stumble when you don't lead me. I cry when you can't hug me. I don't live when you're not in my life. I'm insecure when I can't hear your voice. I love you when you don't need me. I believe when you say you love me unconditionally.

Dee Weber, Huron February 1995 137

ON THE ROAD

I am going away, Yet coming near With fear To leave the old And meet the new. Since I know That new will grow old And soon may be left Somewhere behind, I should not mind Just traveling on! Art Cirulis,v,; Watertown WE LOVETHAT SNCM A security blanket adorns our winterland. North Wind brought it--spread it down on every hill and knoll. South Wind warmly tucked them in. "You will need it yet awhile" he whispered low scanning countryside and town "A few rcore weeks, then time to go."

A cover beautiful to see adorns the earth, hiding stubble field and clod, keeping Nature's tender life Safe and snug beneath the sod. Anna M. Halverson, Garretson ~CJ;:- The centipede is on the ground floor If we adopt the metric system But what will the poor inch worm do, Try to conform or resist "em? Esther Christensen, Hills, MN 138 Pasque Petals

St"MINOLEPIONEER SONG

Pilgrim scouts moved westward, trappers and fur traders found a land of promise and called it "Seminole"; pioneering settlers rolled their covered wagons through prairie sagebrush in the fear of God.

Then the lonely cowboy sought the straying mavericks, whirling with his pony's perfect caracole; happy in his labors, peace descended on him and he raised his voice in songs of thanks to God. Ranchers grazed their cattle where red men had hunted, Mexican vaqueros caressed the new born foal; yellow Chinese cooks rode with the trail chuck wagons while the negro blacksmith praised Almighty God.

Christian men and women taught the native Indian how to love Lord Jesus, Savior of the Soul; then they built a village, named it for the red TIEn and they both together built a church for God.

On the stained-glass windows, dancing blue night shadows llEt the western sky's bright sunset girandole; white men, brown men, yellow, black and red men raised one voice together, worshipping one God. Many years have passed and now the skies are filled with stratospheric bombers on a world patrol; America must shine now as a lamp of freedom and a land that loves one universal God.

Vivian Way Bonine, Rosemead, CA May be sung to the tune of "Bringing In the Sheaves" use the chorous "Seminole for God, We'll Carry forth the banner, Seminole for God" February 1995 139

PARAHELIONPHENa-IBNON A sentry with a torch slipped through The crack of dawn today, And set ablaze the entrance To the solar right of way, But when the fiery dish emerged The sentry's work was done; It couldn't hold a candle To the power of the sun. Harriet Messer,,v Fort~ Collins, CO PASSINGTHROUGH The diner was noisy Smoke and oil coated the wall calendars But the coffee was fresh and hot And the real news soon seeped through my Times " ••• Larry's new rootorcoach ran like a champ ••• until the grapevine ••• The new shipnent of parts came for Sam's truck ••• " Mable stopped crocheting and llX)Vedher special mug Wise precaution when Walt does the refills. "Why you never trip over those loose shoelaces is a wonder ••• thanks ••• " He winked at me as he filled my cup, too "Will you get that done in tilne for Lucy's shower? ••• " ••• 8:55! Sudden silence as the friends fan out across the old street to their shabby shops jingling keys

That refill tasted good. ,,,Sometimes it's hard ••• just passing through. Selma Calnan, Topaz, CA 140 Pasque Petals

REm:IATIONS

Day in day out, I scurry about Deluding myself that I'm free, While below the surface of my mind Unseen forces shape my destiny. Deep in that roiling, boiling pit Glimpsed dimly only in dreams, My personal dem:>nsplay warped tapes, And concoct self defeating scherces. Then poetry opens the door a crack And a sliver of truth breaks free. I gape in wonderment as my poem Introduces me to me. Joy Lee Holman, Sioux Falls

THE SEED Have you ever planted a seed in the ground you water it and watch it grow What sort of a plant comes fran it only God does know

A little green shoot comes out of the ground and its on its way to grow maybe a weed or maybe a flower only time will let us know

A few little leaves come bursting through and it finally starts taking shape the dark green leaves make lovely bed for the buds which are about to burst

It is a beautiful flower with bloans of red With heartfelt joy I raise my face to the skies and I thank God for the miracle I just witnessed, right before my eyes Elizabeth .L. Hanson, Sisseton February 1995 141

THE COLOR B~ Brown is the human spirit, the color of fertile earth. We send out sprouts-- green, red, gold but only the brown holds through our fall, only bare branches and furrowed fields survive the winter's cold. Linsey Duffy, Dell Rapids -v-- ,-,,..-- 00 THELA~ OF MYLIFE I have seen: Diarcond ring, wedding dress, nuptial vows, \\ledded bliss, honeymoon trip, first hanes and apartments, m:)rning dishes, m:>rning sickness, babies that cry, tears in the eye, first smiles of joy, picking up toys, baptismal dress, Priests that bless, kindergarten days, printing on lines, swing sets and baseball bats, fun loving kids that's where it's at, P.T.A. meetings and school days, halloween carnivals and bake sales, fund raisers, mischief makers, football and baseball and pets on the lawn. I have seen: Children go off to college, come home with flat tires, children go off to jobs, wars, to have babies of their own, 'Mom, can I have a loan?' To us all there cones the day of letting go, to a new generation, when they nove away and go on their way giving way to a new day ••• on the lawn of my life. Mary J. Hartle, Humboldt 142 Pasque Petals A MIDDLE-AGEFANTASY Let me be wild let me be free just like a child let me be me.

I want to dance I want to sing and take a chance on everything. Open the doors and windows too. Take away nores that make me blue.

I want to laugh ••• spread out arms wide. Splash in a bath, take a fast ride. I want to shout I want to run let tension out let me have fun.

I want to love ••• love and breathe deep thank God above then go to sleep.

When I awake there you will be but for love's sake let me be me! Shila Ellis, Midland ~-C::}s A single gray stone-- all that remains of one who lived. loved. laughed, cried, was. Verlyss V. Jacobson, Lennox February 1995 143 CHOICES All my life I wanted a cat But we lived out on the farm. The cats were needed all of the time To get rid of the mice in the barn. Lots of things changed as time went on. My preference stayed the same But the man I married considered cats Quite a bit worse than mange.

We had a pigeon who found a mate And then there were thirty-nine. It seems they ate a lot of bread Though I didn't know that at the time. We had six dogs I cared for and fed But never a cat on the scene. Some of the dogs were friends of mine. Some were just plain mean. There were cows I chased and also sheep And pigs came after that. I swear that all of this is true- But, never, never a cat. I finally got some sense and said, "Just what is going on here? I want a cat and I am going to get A cat to give me some cheer." Time passed on and it turned out cats Were on husband's allergy list. "Forget it," I said. "I'm keeping the cat. You get rid of your allergist." Gertrude Johnson, Sioux Falls ---v/ ,,....- Brown leaves and high winds a six-inch leafy carpet fall's beauty lost Olive c. Johnson, Mitchell 144 Pasque Petals HOLES I try to draw you Mary eyes stare a continent away hold milk leaf veins Saran-wrap over bones lines pull taut use caught scrubbed charcoal cries the chalk smoke fires you leave on the sheets years keep returning rrelt same's crayons bled in windowed sun afternoons you me drink thinnest gray water liquid added to pigrrent color of skies paper flesh now burnt umber shadowed Peter Layton, Lakewood, CA

HANOCLASP love is sanetimes wordless hands know best yours 1n• mine• yoursmine • 1n• speaking love Gerald Gullickson, Asheville, NC February 1995 145 BEYONDTOOORRCM AND FOREVER It is rcorning, it is stillness, enerald water, golden sunrise Fill my senses with their beauty, fill my being With their promise. Days surreal, desert's lonely Landscape stretching from horizon to horizon, From forever to forever, walking with a timeless patience A.s we traveled across its pathways, destiny and destination Merging, left with no direction save the whispering of voices, Unseen spirits of the desert beckon us to travel onward. If we saw beyond forever, if we walked beyond the sunrise,I v«>uld we still be in the desert, in a precious moment wrested Fran the ravages of nations; or would mercy be forthcoming Of the desert stark and barren; let me touch your face in silence, Rest your head upon my shoulder, feel your heartbeat through my body In a world beyond tanorrow, bright with sunlight, enerald water. It is morning, it is stillness, it is mystery and longing; It is monentary glircpses of respite fran war to come; It is time to ask of living far, far more than it can grant me; It is time to see your eyes again and let them take me home. Henry Travers, Sioux Falls '(V;;:,v- Many splendorous leaves with gay insouciance, fall and swirl on neat lawns Beryl Kapaun, Montrose 146 Pasque Petals

LENTAWHILE She's been lent to me for a little time to have for whatever term is ahead, to hold and to love till the death knells chime and then for me to mourn when she is dead. II With tenderness then I must shelter her, For being with me, thankful while I may. For happiness we have had together, be grateful for whatever length her stay. With her charms and care, she has gladdened me and if her stay with me is only brief I will hold every moment's rnem::>ry to bring me solace, lessen all my grief. Give me the strength to understand, transcend, what time is left when she goes back again. Jerry Jax, Houston, TX ~ C2?~ FROMDUST TO THESTARS From a dark and humble beginning I have journeyed. My one outstanding ambition to sail the Cosmic seas. To fling my body against Solar winds. Reach out to my mother, the Sun. Touch my brother planets. To be one with all that is great and Al-mighty. To be the next seed of creation this is my quest! to rise up from the dust of human inadequacies and sit arcongst the stars.

Leighton Hollar, Bronx, NY February 1995 147

MAGICALMORNING

On awakening this morning everything outside glistened like dianonds fran old Jack Frost's finger painting; frost hung on trees and wires so white. One lonely little sparrow was busy trying to find a speck or crumb, he shook himself fran frost so fuzzy; woody Woodpecker on a tree was drurmnin' What spectacular beauty this God made wonderland; such a beautiful bounty, we are so blessed in our great land. Beverly Bothe, Flandreau - WAR

A battlefield is not a pretty place, the earth torn up, shell traced. The shreds of grass and sod, black twisted tree trunks, not the work of God. The soggy trenches soaked in blood, dead bodies covered by the mud. But war is glorious! Glorious they say! The march of feet and shining bayonets ray, the roll of drums, bugles shrill refrain; but wait the scene does not remain and the mask of color drops--it's dead! the shining bayonets are rusty red, the bugle's silent and the drum's retreat, and those feet, those springy feet, that marched so proudly on parade in muck and rain and blood, after the raid! James Assid, Sioux Falls 148 Pasque Petals AIDNGOURSELVES SOOPSJUNE MEETING--will be at Midland, SD. Maybe the first week end in June. No details yet, this is to remind you we will have a critiquing session in the afternoon, so get those poems ready. We expect every serious poet to send in an entry. ONEPAGE ONLY of poetry, two copies, one with your name and address on it, the other plain, that goes to the judge. Deadline will probably be around May 12th, which sounds like a long way away, but time flies faster than rcodern jets these days and it takes time to polish our poems. Poems will be sent to Barbara Stevens and then on to the judge. PASQUEPE'rALS--It is always good to see new names in each issue, new blood is always welcome. We would like to remind new writers of the 50 character lines. A small publication can not use long lines and it is always better for the poet to make the line breaks. 44 lines is the limit as we try to keep each poem complete on a page. The January prize poems are the only exception and we have to budget for more pages for that month, because of longer poems. Poets are individuals and we all write different types of poetry, but we still try to give PP a somewhat cohesive look. It would help if poets did not use the old fashioned method of capitals for every line, but write sentences normally. In this day, too, old fashioned \vOrds are not considered poetic, eg. 'tis and 'twas etc. We do not invert sentences either, especially for the sake of rhyme, eg. skies blue rather than blue skies,if you are rhyming you have to find another rhyme. Small details like this can be taken care of by the poet.

WE SORRYWERE TO HEARof the death of Cleo Sandvick, our long time member. Her cousin said she passed away June 1993. He sent a lovely book of her poetry, I do not know if it is available but have his address if anyone wants it. INDEX 129 THE GIFT--Bernice Bunny Cameron PUZZLEDWISE MEN--Eve Jeanette Blohm 130 TIMES OFS~NG--Henry Colebank AGATHA--LIBRARIAN--Barbara Sherrard Morgan 131 PIECES OFPOTl'ERY--Marcia Roberts HOLLY'SRESTAURANT--Lynell Gunderson 132 LUtCH HOUR IN THE SKYWAY--Catheryn E. Sundal! A TRIBUTETO A DEAR FRIEND--Peggy Netcott 133 DEAREST SYLVIA--LouisJ. Cantoni .. PRAIRIE PORT DE BRAS--Mary Elizabeth Harding 134 WESTHCM THE WASWON--Robert G. Godfrey BABY--Maria V. Bakkum 135 GOLDFISH--Wayne Porter SONNETxcv111.v1--ruma Reinecks HAIKU--Mary Grothe 136 MYCOMPANIONS IAS WALK--LaVerle Stevens WHEN YOUARE--Dee Weber 137 ON THEROAD--Art Cirulis WELOVE THAT SNCM--Anna M. Halverson THECENrIPEDE--Esther Christensen 138 SEMINOLEPIONEER SOOG--Vivian Way Bonine 139 PARHELION PHENOMENON--Harriet Messer PASSIOOTHID.JGH--Selma Calnan 140 REVEIATIOOS--JoyLee Holman THE SEED--Elizabeth L. Hanson 141 THE O)LORB~-Linsey Duffy ONTHE LA~ OF MYLIFE--Mary J. Hartle 142 A MIDDLE-AGEFANTASY--Shila Ellis HAIKU-Verlyss v. Jacobson 143 CHOICES-~rtrude Johnson HAIKU--Olive C. Johnson 144 HOLES--Peter Layton HANOCIASP-~rald Gullickson 145 BEYOND'rof.ORRCM AND FOREVER--Henry Travers HAIKU--Beryl Kapaun 146 LENTAWHILE--Jerry R. Jax FI01 DUSTTO THE STARS--Leighton Hollar 147 MAGICALIDRNING--Beverly Bothe WAR--JamesAssid 148 Af.ONG OURSELVES tt Per Scey Inc. Society, Poetry State 0 .3t Street E. 34th 909 iu Falls Sioux ot Dakota South

aqe eas Magazine Petals Pasque dtrBraa Stevens Editor-Barbara

SD 57105 SD

Sioux Falls, S. Oak. S. Falls, Sioux

o-rft Org. Non-Profit

U.S

Permit No. 893 No. Permit

POSTAGE

PAID