Is knowing when to ad-lib
— and when to follow the script.
It is knowing the times to enunciate
— and the best opportunities to scat.
To be able to feel
— the rhythm of the universe,
as well as knowing
— which chart or chord.
Ronda R. Scott-Marak
© 20 August 2025
Wind gusting sideways
blowing litter widdershins across the paths;
flotsam and jetsam scattered all about
like rubble after adversity.
Doors swinging to and fro
slamming and squeaking in protest with the effort;
branches groaning 'gainst the squall
in opposition to the raging tempest.
Rain driving everything and everyone before it
leaving eddies in its wake;
soaking shoes, pavement and earth
leaking pseudo Spring under the doors.
Ronda R. Scott-Marak
© 1 February 2016
( A December 13th Tanka)
Melody, rhythm
Andy dancing as he plays
Music with such joy
Mandolin, Bass, Cymbal, Drum
Performance is a prayer
Ronda R. Scott-Marak
©️21 December 2025
We All Know What We Need —
Health
Less pain
Calm
Less numbness
Peace
Less fear
Abundance
Less need
Security
Less war
Love
Less hate
Life
Less death
Ronda R. Scott-Marak
©️9 August 2025
I am grateful for my body, even when it fails me,
for my life, even when it’s a misery and doesn’t feel like real living.
I
am grateful for my strength, even when it fades; my wit, even when it flags;
the heartbeat that keeps me alive, even
when it races.
I
am grateful for my sight, both inward and outward, even while it blurs;
the lungs that allow me to breathe, to laugh, to talk, to sing, even when my
voice cracks with exhaustion and emotion.
I
am grateful for feet that bear my weight and move me forward, even when they cramp, and the muscles that keep
me active, even when they ache.
I
give thanks for teeth that allow me to speak, smile and chew, even though they
are both sensitive and chipped; the backbone that keeps me upright, even when
my shoulders hunch in frustration and my neck aches with tension.
I
give thanks for my tears that sometimes pour like rain —
or sometimes dampen like dew, because they show that no matter what,
no matter how I might physically feel—
or the manner in which I might think about
myself or others — I still care.
Ronda R. Scott-Marak
© 21 April 2018
Black white
blue red
green;
It’s all grey
You can’t fix one without fixing the other.
Tug of war
High tide
Low tide
The water is all the same;
It should all have the same set of rules under the Moon.
Tug of war is normal as long as both sides have equal rope and equal strength.
Tug to war should never be business as usual.
Ronda R. Scott-Marak
© 21 October 2020
(with thanks to Joni Mitchell)
April skies
Grey palette striae of layered travertine
July skies
Dandelion sails drift in cerulean seas
October skies
Silver-blue moiré backlit with ermine trim
January skies
Downy overcoats and snowy, grizzled beards
Mutable illusions
The ceiling changes light,
textures, hue and chroma
Ronda R. Scott-Marak
©️31 March 2025
