Sunday 26 January 2014

The Man Who Never Smiled

There was a man who never smiled…

Who sat on his couch all day –
Sometimes wrapped in a blanket and sometimes not,
Watching his grandchild play with her toys.

Often he would hold the girl in his lap,
And read her fairytales from an old, black book:
Like Hansel and Gretel and the story of Heidi.
Or he would teach her German – Schmetterling and Auf Wiedersehen –
Or show her how to count.

Some days, the man taught her about chores,
Like how to dry the dishes.
(But never the knives)!
And on other days, he taught her about school,
Showing her how to read or tell time –
Auf Deutsch, natürlich.

He hugged the girl frequently and kissed her often,
And snuck her money when her parents weren’t looking.
And when they were looking.

And he explained to her why she shouldn’t jump on the furniture,
Or put a plastic bag over her head.

The man protected her from the world
(In his eyes, she was a perfect angel)
And when anyone raised their voice to the girl,
He would shield her with his menacing glare.

They ate lunch together, too:
Usually macaroni, but scrambled eggs on Sunday!
And afterwards they sat on his couch –
To read or count or tell time
(In English and in German).

Then when she got bored,
The girl would get up to play with her toys
And proudly, the man would watch.

And every day the girl would grin –
Bigger and bigger with each passing moment.
Because she had a secret about the man who never smiled:


She could see him smiling all along.



Dedicated to my Opa, the best grandpa anyone could ever have. I know you're smiling down on me from Heaven. 



Friday 24 January 2014

Just Purple

Well, I haven't been doing a very good job at sticking to the bi-monthly blog post resolution - so here's an old poem that will hopefully make up for it:


Just Purple

As far as hues are concerned she is purple.
No scent or sound,
No texture or taste,
Just a blotch of color in a rainbow of shades.
Beautiful of course, but never something more –
Never something different.
Just purple.

Naturally, she can be altered –
Paler, darker, brighter, deeper.
She can take the form of a beautiful butterfly
Sailing smoothly through still air,
Or a lazy, land-locked hippo.
Even the syllables of her name can be changed –
Lilac, violet, lavender,
Or ‘Lila’ by German tongue.
But the roots of her purpose are never destroyed.
Still, she is only purple.

Just another color in an endless heaven of hues,
Just a single flower in a rainbow garden,
She is a song for the eyes, but otherwise useless –
Until dark.
Only then, when a blanket of black eerily covers the colors,
Is she more than just a pigment –
More than just purple.
Somehow different than before, she is needed now –
Wanted.
Loved.

But still, she remains unchanged –
The same as what she always was,
She is purple.
Just Purple.

Thursday 2 January 2014

13 Things I Learned in 2013

Here's a quick look at the most important things I learned last year. With all this knowledge, there's no way I can make any mistakes in 2014!

1. Ed Sheeran hoodies are EXTREMELY difficult to acquire in Canada - which is particularly frustrating, especially if you don't even like Ed Sheeran. 

2. If you're going to do a food challenge in America, you are going to have a stomachache afterwards - there's no avoiding this.

3. Guinea pigs eat like, well, pigs. And pet treats are expensive. 

4. When you lose 100lbs you will also lose all of your natural insulation with it - and Canadian winters are cold! 

5. Relationships are tough and a lot of people get hurt - but the love of a hamster is forever. 

6. Don't ever sing in the bathroom when you have repair people at your house, especially if you can't sing and only know a third of the lyrics. It just creates an awkward situation for everyone. 

7. Getting your nose pierced doesn't actually hurt. (Until you switch out the stud and get a fricking little white bump on your nose. Then it stings like a mother.......)!

8. Thirty-five year old men hitting on you when you're twenty years old is not cute or flattering. It's actually solidly creepy. 

9. Coffee is hot, and when you spill an entire pot of it all over yourself it hurts. 

10. It takes a VERY long time to shampoo the smell of sweat, shame and pancakes out of your hair. Also, never take a dish washing job at IHOP.

But in all seriousness,

11. People will hurt you and lie to you, and you don't need to take crap from anyone. But sometimes you'll find someone who's worth the pain. 

12. You can walk away from God, but He'll never walk away from you. And when you're ready to come back to Him, He'll welcome you with open arms. 

13. Take a second to breathe - be in the moment. Life is so precious, and you don't want to miss a second of it.