Anna Marie Gall

Journaling, blogging, poetry, and short stories.
Words shared from the heart!

A bio was written about Anna and her therapeutic poetry which is found on Flapper Press’ website. In January 2023 Anna was joined by fellow eMerge authors and residents from the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow for a reading night at a local establishment in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Here’s the write up in the Arkansas Gazette as well as a video of Anna’s reading of her “Seashells” poem.

I have written another short story by condensing two previous blog posts entitled “Friday Night Twisters”. A real-life story about the encounter and aftermath of tornadoes in my county of St. Charles, Missouri near Defiance. Our greenhouse still stands, although needs a new home to the right owner. This “short take” as Persimmon Tree calls it can be found in their Spring 2023 issue online article entitled “WTF Is It With This Weather?”. My short take lands about halfway between other short takes on our crazy weather.

Feb ’23 photo prompt featured writer is… Preserved Love by Anna Gall   Subtle, sweet, the simplicity of a stemmed, thornless rose. A single long-stem red rose given for Valentine’s Day. Another for our anniversary. And then another for my birthday. He remembers those special days with a single rose. The color will change from one special day to another. Maybe based on his mood, or mine. Whether red, pink, purple, white, or yellow, the gift is always given with tender love in the simplest form and received with gratitude and mutual love. Sometimes included are the sweet nothings whispered in my ear or scribbled on a note.   After three or four days admiring the rose’s loveliness, the rose is taken to the basement and pinned upside down from the clothesline to dry. On occasion a bouquet with multiple roses is given to celebrate a special event. Or it might be a sign of truce after a squabble, or forgiveness for something more offensive. Soaking in the kind gesture for three or four days, the whole bouquet is turned upside down, twine wrapped around the stems tight, and hung to dry like the single rose. The preservation of a bouquet takes longer. Its sacredness all the same.   Over the years dried rose bouquets gather in vases and dried rose petal potpourri fill mason jars. These floral displays are situated in prominent places in our historic cottage home. One antique ceramic vase given by a beloved brother now gone from this life holds a dozen pinkish buds above a shelf of family photos. Another bouquet of dried purple roses and baby red rosehips grace the guest bedroom near a quart mason jar wrapped in a white netting ribbon filled with withered pinkish rose petals and baby’s breathe. Preserved deep red roses are seated in a short clear glass vase at the base of Mother Mary’s statue. The rose, a symbol of love, romance, beauty, purity, courage, and virtue. Its vibrant color tells the story, its fragile condition continues that story with each petal. Thousands over the years, match the love that will last a thousand years or more. Well beyond this earthly life.

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Beauty For Ashes

“He will give”

Do you mean God will?

“Beauty for ashes”

Out of this heap of a mess called my life?

“Joy instead of mourning”

My family is pure joy to me, most of the time.

“Praise instead of heaviness”

I’d like to be singing “One Moment In Time”.

“For God has planted them”

Not sure about this place He has me at this time.

“Like strong and graceful oaks”

I am not feeling so strong, but I take one day at a time.

“For His own glory”

Ok, then my life is about God and His love.

That is the Beauty found in these ashes.

Anna Marie Gall ~ January 16, 2023

written after my daughter’s house fire Christmas night 2022

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Lumpy

A fungus among us. Warty lumps surround the body, kind of scary like those things that go bump in the night. Yet it provides the creepy affect that the Halloween season demands. Texture and autumn colors swirl the gourd placed in my front porch bucket with other gourds and pumpkins. It stands out as different than the others. While relaxing on the porch I cannot stop thinking how some people placed in my life have the same affect. Turn-around Bob, the neighborhood man who literally walks in circles down the sidewalk. Mrs. McClure, the elderly lady two doors down, who feeds and befriends the squirrels rather than songbirds. That precarious child in my classroom who stands out amongst the other children. George is awkwardly dressed, buttons off by one, frizzy hair, and oversized glasses for his face and slim build. Yet, he is at school every day with a smile, friendly with everyone. George’s warm smile is a reminder to that joy comes with each new day no matter how rough it may start out. Today two girls in the library were making fun of George, like people will do, whispering in each other’s ears, but loud enough for me to hear. Those two girls need to be kind, appreciate George. I think I’ll make up another autumn setting with gourds and pumpkins to put in the classroom. It will pretty things up through Thanksgiving anyway and maybe have a lesson on appreciation for my students with a gnarly gourd in the centerpiece. My third-graders came into the classroom, many excited about another week of school. The cornucopia centerpiece caught the attention of a few. Many began to share their pumpkin picking adventures from the previous weekend. Others came up to touch the pumpkins and gourds, running their fingers over their surfaces, even the lumpy gourd had a few admirers. We started with our spelling words for the week, and then into the reading lesson. The theme is the first Thanksgiving. We talked about the pilgrims and natives, what their differences and similarities were. I likened the pilgrims and natives like the pumpkins and gourds in our cornucopia, how co-existence is important in our world. The lumpy gourd was dubbed “Lumpy” by one of the boys. Everyone laughed, but all the children seem to share an appreciation of its colors and texture. Our art lesson followed, therapy for most children. Collages to depict that first Thanksgiving were to be created but in small groups of three or four children. Poster board, colored construction paper, old magazines, markers, and paints were the base of their art project. Bowls of feathers, leaves, acorns, corn kernels, and scrap fabrics were provided for texture. I grouped George with one of the girls who likes to talk about him, and another boy. The three worked well together. George brings his joy to the group. The girl began to join in with George’s and the other boy’s laughter. The lesson is learned today.

Acknowledged by Center For Creative Writing October ’22 Photo Writing Prompt Contest

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Heavy heads of seeds drooping down

facing warm earth sun sought

while clouds cover appears the wrong direction

feels warm earth’s beckon,

drop seeds next season’s children

Anna Marie Gall ~ September 22, 2022

while driving between Kansas sunflower fields

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Birthday blessings sent

pretties, fragrant gifts, songs too

thankful for fam, friends

your love expressed uniquely

Anna Marie Gall ~ August 30, 2022

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Ebb And Flow

Just one word. The right word. The ebb and flow of one right word with its syllables, pronunciation, and perfect timing. It drops into a pool of water, and ripples through wave after wave until it returns to you, refreshing and uplifting. Like that of karma, the spiritual principle of cause and effect.  Holy scriptures tell us, “Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth, doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, so will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.”

I had an interview today for a half-time position desired with the local library.  I am semi-retired.  The income from this job I seek will assist with my daughter’s medical needs, treatments not covered by insurance. So, plenty of pressure.  After answering their questions, the best I could, the managers asked if I had any questions for them.  I hope my three questions were appropriate.  An old proverb says, “Whoever speaks a word at an opportune time is like apples of gold on beds of silver.”  I am feeling insecure about one question I asked the managers of the local library, whether it was appropriate during this interview.  I asked about security at the library.  Maybe the timing was not appropriate?  I suppose because of my past experiences, this is a concern of mine.  A person never quite gets over assault, extra vigilant anywhere she goes, even at the local library. Apparently, somebody else has been concerned about security at the library because I learned they have a security officer stationed there in the afternoons and evenings to deter possible crime.

The ebb and flow of one wrong word is like a boomerang cutting everything it touches.  It abruptly comes back to you, can cut you like a knife.  Hopefully this is not the case for my question asked at the interview, maybe not the best time and it may have costed my job offer.  But wrong words spoken in gossip are a boomerang, cuts the heart and life of the people who hear the gossip, shredding the relationships of the victim as well as the gossipers.  It destroys families, friends, and communities.  Do not let your words haunt you, hang you, behead you.  Choose words wisely.  If an apology is necessary, make it right while you have today as there are no guarantees for tomorrow.  Let the droplet of a kind word permeate into the souls of those hear it, and the refreshment of that word will return to you wave after wave after wave.  The ebb and flow of one right word.

Anna Marie Gall acknowledged by Center For Creative Writing May ’22 Photo Writing Prompt Contest

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Spring Days Want To Stay

Colors vibrant of purple grape to delft blue

wild hyacinths have popped all anew

under the dogwood tree and red twinged brush

amongst the fresh green grass so plush.

Too warm to be wet snowflakes gathering

fluttering cherry blossoms are what cold winds bring

with every moment and each subsequent spring day

comes bearing hope between the clouds, those sunrays.

Anna Marie Gall ~ April 18, 2022

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My delicious lover,

thyme for sugar

and creamy butter.

Stir in love,

sifted, powdered,

share the balm.                                                                                                           

Pour fresh glaze

from the beginning

to the ending.

Living, loving,

you are as good as you look.

Anna Marie Gall ~ January 22, 2022

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Green.

Fresh sprouts of pea green.

Greens dot the trees on the slopes.

Clover green.

Emerald green.

Green green.

Olive green.

Mustard green.

Lime green.

Wake up earth to spring green!

Anna Marie Gall ~ March 30, 2021

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September’s Nectar

Withered leaves rustle

Acorns scatter all the while

Swallowtails, bees nurse on

Succulents’ cerise pink blooms

September’s nectar

Before leaving summer’s home

Anna Marie Gall ~ September 24, 2020

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Fallen acorns gather

in crevices still brushed with green.

Morn arrives later

while the sunset glows golden.

Amber bursts sky blue

before autumn paints the trees.

Anna Marie Gall ~ September 13, 2019

Summer stroll silence held

alleys of corals pinks greens

textured plush alcoves

Anna Marie Gall ~ June 28, 2019

Charleston, SC

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Bonds

An uncommon bond,

intimate, sacred, passion, fluid, fruitful.

A common bond,

so so, lifeless, cold-hearted, dry, dutiful.

Hoping the first returns.  Hope is my anchor.

Anna Marie Gall ~ April 14, 2018

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Green Spaces

I long for green spaces … growth.

Water overflowing into vessels

Streams wash the earth … renew. 

Springtime green comes to stay,

Spring rains shower, drip, drip.

Puddles of water to run through

Soaking each toe … anointing.

I long for green spaces … growth.

Anna Marie Gall ~ March 14, 2018

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Soft subtle snow

whispers winter overnight

Santa angel peers

Anna Marie Gall ~ December 23, 2017

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Water

Water, sun, my life

Body, mind, spirit, my God

River nourish my soul roots.

Anna Gall ~ August 1, 2016

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A Mist

Lake vapors into clouds

Blues bluer, greens greener, rain

Grays grayer, a mist.

Anna Gall ~ August 1, 2016

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Blinking stars fill dusk

light the field of purple haze

a million fireflies 

Anna Marie Gall ~ June 16, 2016

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Feathery Snowflakes

Feathery snowflakes
Black and white flickers of gold
Seeds feed hungry souls
Anna Marie Gall ~ February 28, 2015

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Down To Earth

Fill our hearts our homes
Overflow food love laughter
Down to earth garden.
Anna Marie Gall ~ August 11, 2014

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Echoed church bell chimes
Urban violence stirs dust
Bang bang bullets hit

Bang bang bullets warn
Womp womp whirly birds circle
When you know the whole

Justice will come forth
It becomes clear why such force
Echoed church bell chimes
Anna Marie Gall ~ August 10, 2014

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Wispy feathers grace
golden eye with black shadows
hides behind hat brim
Anna Marie Gall ~ June 17, 2014

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All Things Spring

All things spring …
puppy dogs
robin eggs
Easter bonnets
green sprouts
mud puddles
thunder roars
creaky frogs
kite tails
Anna Marie Gall ~ March 20, 2014

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Tinge of Pink

Tinge pink sky aglow
The quiet hush of snowfall
Soft crunch tonight’s steps
Anna Gall ~ March 2, 2014

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Sundog prism peers
Forecasted this windy cold night
Howling at the moon
Anna Marie Gall ~ January 17, 2014

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Perfectly round moon
White spotlight brilliantly bright
Life’s dance before thee
Anna Marie Gall ~ January 17, 2014

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Mirror

That square old mirror
It is me, self, I inside
Mere reflection veered askew
Anna Marie Gall ~ November 27, 2013

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Vines withered, harvest gourds
gather together autumn porch
vintage bench, red leaves.
Anna Marie Gall
November 6, 2013

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Aglow crimson red
gold orange green-laced cooper
willow weeps winter.
Anna Marie Gall ~ November 6, 2013

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Sprouts Forthcoming

Fresh sprouts forthcoming ~
gardener learns life lessons
patience, faith, hope, love.

Anna Marie Gall ~ June 13, 2013

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Sunset Honeysuckle Sweet

Summer evening still
Sunset honeysuckle sweet
Peachy sky resides.

Anna Marie Gall ~ June 8, 2013

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May Morn

Flower petals soft
White tinged pink carpet allay
May morn love affair

Anna Marie Gall ~ May 10, 2013

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Park Bench

Nestled trees, sunlight
While a stroll park bench invites
Wispy shadows, warmth stays

Anna Marie Gall ~ May 7, 2013

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Earth maken new life ~
Worm underneath sprouts of green
Orange breast robin feast.
Anna Marie Gall ~ March 19, 2013

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All Four Seasons
I met you in the autumn years of our lives.
We walked together in sunshine, wind, and rain.
We embraced the autumn colors, felt the crisp air, heard the music in the leaves.
A canvas to be completed sooner rather than later, a life to cycle through all four seasons.
You entered the winter years, though I not yet ready.
I with another stroll along a golden yellow, pumpkin orange, and burnt red lane.
You with another to touch snowflakes, lick icicles before the quiet hush of snowfall.
A blanket gray sky with woody cedars and small stone silhouettes.
In a slow-motion moment I witnessed your spring and summer years.
A beautiful blossom, the home nest welcomes sweet springtime.
Summertime love brought forth fruit twice, then eight times.
Your early autumn years, leaves on a tree trunk, your graduation cap atop long thick hair.
New roads on the horizon, friendships and love many a time, then sickness.
A life to cycle through all four seasons too quickly.
But now you are at peace and free to live forever.
Anna Marie Gall
in memory of Donald E Flood ~ January 23, 2013

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Seashells

Our lives are like seashells in the sand. 

Arranged on a palette, seemingly haphazardly.  

A beautiful seascape with the ocean, sun, wind,

and sparkling sands highlighting.

Small, significant, striped, or speckled shells.

Ridged, in the rough, raw, reckless, and ruffled.

Omnipresent, opaque, oval, and an oyster’s home.

 Is your life smooth sailing right now? 

Or does it feel hollow echoing sounds,  

reminders of voices from the past? 

Storms interrupting life?

There is a Pearl awaiting discovery.

Anna Marie Gall ~ April 2, 2012

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Christmas brunch awaits;

Lavender cream scones, ham quiche,

with cranberry juice red.

Anna Marie Gall – December 22, 2011

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Vigil

There is restlessness in my spirit as the days go on …

A bud sprouted, green shoots reach for sunlight.

And my leaves continue to be watered reaching to the depths of my deep roots…

My father and mother taught me simple living as a child.

Life is in the earth, sky, and God.

Watch the soil, weather, and plant life as a vigil.

Forecast the weather by the song birds, the family dog, and the sun dog in the sky.

Baby plants smile in their prepared beds.

The winds bring much reprieve from the summer heat or the destruction of an heirloom apple tree.

Seedlings sigh in relief as the choking weeds are uprooted.

Morning baths promise green life through the scorching afternoons.

Stars gaze at dusk to tell the time.

And night time clouds tell whether a frost settles to the earth before dawn.

Winter snows create beds of life to be seen with spring.

A farmer’s tales are gold nuggets of truth and wisdom to this spirit.

My roots swell and reach deeper with each day on this farm.

I am a farmer, my spirit now hears the call …

 Anna Marie Gall

aka  Anna Banana

EarthDance Farms Apprentice

July 23, 2011