My Cart 
Login 

Previous

Ode to Porches
by
Janice Canerdy


Next
 

On porches bathed in brilliant sun
enduring friendships are begun
as neighbors air their hurts and joys       
and children learn to share their toys.
 
On moonlit porches, arm in arm,
sweethearts display romantic charm.
The night was made for them, it seems.
Love fills the air and starlight gleams.
 
On crowded porches trips are planned
by those who dream of surf and sand
or snow-capped mountains far away.
They'll have their respite, come what may.
 
On countless porches you will find
retirees resting weary minds.
They've other things than work to tend;
they're waiting for their second wind.
 
Old porches now in disrepair
attached to homes bereft and bare
still echo with the lives of those
who have gone on to sweet repose.


© by Janice Canerdy.
Used here with the author's permission.

 


Janice Canerdy is a retired high-school English teacher from Potts Camp, Mississippi. A poet since childhood, her work has appeared in numerous anthologies, contest journals, and poetry magazines over the years. Janice is the author of two books: Expressions of Faith (Christian Faith Publishers, 2016, now out of print) and From Serious to Slapstick--Poems, Like Life (Doctors Dream Publishing, 2024). A former president of the Mississippi Poetry Society, she is honored to have been named their Poet of the Year.


Post New Comment:
Joan Luther:
Reminds me of Ted Koosers House Held Up By Trees.
Posted 08/25/2023 04:51 PM
Lori Levy:
Great ode to porches. Especially like the ending.
Posted 08/25/2023 04:22 PM
carlpalmer:
Porches invite conversation
Posted 08/25/2023 12:46 PM
cork:
I love the rhyme flexibility!
Posted 08/25/2023 10:11 AM
CamilleBalla:
Very nice. Seems more inviting than the front steps where neighbors would stop by to chat, mainly on summer evenings.
Posted 08/25/2023 09:07 AM
Wilda Morris:
I wouldn't want to live without air conditioning or TV, but they are not unmixed blessings. I remember those summer evenings on the porch when I was a child, the neighbors coming by, etc. Thank you for this poem that brought back beautiful memories.
Posted 08/25/2023 09:04 AM
Darrell Arnold:
I believe that if more homes had porches, we would all have more friends.
Posted 08/25/2023 08:39 AM
Larry Schug:
It all comes down to the final verse, doesn't it?
Posted 08/25/2023 08:06 AM


Contents of this web site and all original text and images therein are copyright © by Your Daily Poem. All rights reserved.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Purchasing books through any poet's Amazon links helps to support Your Daily Poem.
The material on this site may not be copied, reproduced, downloaded, distributed, transmitted, stored, altered, adapted,
or otherwise used in any way without the express written permission of the owner.