Dream a Little Dream

Bare Naked Ladies
—Poems and Photos by Sue McMahon, Cameron Park, CA
—Artwork by Travis Warren

MY GOLDEN HILLS OF EL DORADO

My golden hills of El Dorado
with spotted horses to the north
and fat cattle to the south
once where ranch houses were barely seen

What a sight for a young girl
walking home from Mitchell Junior High
seeing your beauty every day is
where my dreams began

I could not wait to
climb up the hill and not look back
and to live on top of your snowy pine tree
mountains!

I remember winding through those rolling hills
in search of a special camping spot

Never knowing the destination
pitching tents wherever we wanted
always cleaning up better than
what we found our perfect secret place to be

Coming home and seeing the dark valley below
and Dad teasing about seeing our porch light on
as his old truck rumbled through
the fields of Folsom towards home

Oh my golden hills of El Dorado
what a trail of memories you leave

EL DORADO’S SERENITY


Your mountains so high and rambling creeks

Emanate your beauty no matter what the season

As long as the Waffle Shop stays open to fill grumbling bellies

Along the way ~

I won’t mind the string of cars, trucks and campers that

Jostle for a position at the old Ice House Road turnoff

Where many have died and past camping trips were made

Oh so long ago,

I will patiently let them pass so that I can enjoy the scenery

Of the grand but at times trickling American River

I anticipate Lover’s Leap, then Camp Sacramento as

Happy memories fill my heart till tears fall

While looking at your empty softball field ~ I miss you so

Then at the summit I smile as I look down at your crisp

Blue shoreline and long for sand in my toes or

Snow on my windows

Even the tangled mess at Whitehall left by the Cleveland Fire

Makes me sentimental and wanting for pioneer ways

My dearest El Dorado

I will always cherish your serenity ~

__________________

A DEVASTATING KING

My heart is heavy for the loss of trees,


homes, and wildlife in my dear El Dorado County.


The great Divide, North county that is so dear to my heart,


where I will come and live again someday.


This King Fire, this devastating beast that ran


northeast to the forest and beyond,


taking with it memories, homes of dear loved ones and


homes of wild animals who had to flee


that awful night when fifty thousand acres


went up in flames and devoured our beloved forest.


Where people called loved ones in a panic, hung up and


lost connections, lost pets, lost homes in the chaos.


We waited to hear from them, and waited longer


to see if they could return to their homes.


If their homes would be standing, oh the waiting.


I am saddened because in my lifetime I know


I will never see Stumpy Meadows surrounded by pine trees


and in her full beauty again.


I was searching for photos regarding the lake,


because I could not believe the fire had burned


that far; and there I found the Stumpy Meadows


Campground sign burning.


So, it is true this fire, not one bit acting like a king
but rather a beast, offering no chivalry as a true King would;


A true King would protect what has taken nature so long to create.
The Divide is where my heart is and where I will return,
to plant more trees and grow new memories ~

INTO THE HUE

Dream a little dream
In your mind asleep
Let your thoughts flow
Into a blue haze
Before you wake
Enjoy this state
Of mind and know
Loved ones are near
And lovers are even
Dearer in the dawn
Dream on

Into the hue
 

________________

FOR YOUR HEART

I would give you a rainbow
If I could reach into the sky

I would pull down your lost wishes
And somehow make them come alive

 I would grab your favorite color
And bring it to your bedside

Then paint your room this hue
If I could float into the clouds
And make your dreams come true

There may not be a pot of gold
At the end of everyday –
But I will always be your friend

Because,

I would give you a rainbow
If I could reach into the sky

________________

A FAIRY’S TRAVELS

Walking along the low road every day
I seek to find the little people
Who are called Fairies
There my true love will be brought to me
Oh his soul shall be mine, to forever envelop
In love, in warmth, in soft whispers
His breath may be cold and the heather
Still stained from his heart’s red blood
I will weep and weep, till him I seek
Oh beautiful bonnie banks
I will walk your low roads forever                                                         
Until my own soul is carried by fairies
Back to my homeland, and back to you
Where we will run on the high road once again
Into each other’s arms, forever in love
Where we are warm, where we can whisper
Soft words alone in the dark blue night
Oh Fairy come now and bring my true love home

To the beautiful bonnie banks of Loch Loma

SIX DEGREES OF BLUE SKIES

I opened the car door
And took a tumble onto
the icy interstate
This road keeps going to no end and
I yearn for a cozy destination and an
empty bowl of ice cream on my lap
I recently sold the chain saw and said
goodbye to those memories
the money bought me a tank
of gas and a basketball
for my grandson Dylan
Prime should have it delivered
before tomorrow’s sunset
I brushed off my knees along with the
bad memories that were digging in my mind
and continued on my journey;
I drove North, and a little East
into the clear civil dawn

Only blue skies ahead now

___________________


Today’s LittleNip:

VIRAL BLUE LAWS
—Joseph Nolan, Stockton, CA

Every day sucks like Sunday
Back when Sundays were blue.
You can’t even go to a movie!
There’s really nothing to do,

Except you can still go fishing
Or climb a tree or two
Or mow the lawn
Or catch up on your homework
Or dream until Sunday is gone.

___________________

Welcome to the Kitchen, Sue, and many thanks for your poems! We had a sneak preview of Sue’s work last Monday in the Kitchen.

Sue McMahon lives in her beloved mountains of El Dorado County, California. Her dream of living “up the hill” began while walking to school as a young child. She longed for the mountains that she could see in the distance from the city. She is from the Sacramento area and moved to El Dorado County in 1988, and currently lives in Cameron Park. She has her own Facebook page for her poetry, Blue Sky Writings. She self- published a book of poems, titled Blue Sky Writings, Whimsical and Romantic Poetry which is also available on Kindle. Again, welcome to the Kitchen, Sue, and don’t be a stranger.

And thanks also to Sue’s son, Travis Warren, for his fine drawings, and to Joseph Nolan for his take on Sundays. It’s interesting how many of our poets are including the concept of dreams and dreaming during this quarantine: “… dream on... into the hue” as Sue puts it.

__________________

—Medusa, still reaching for the stars ~

"Comfy in my skin, loving life!"
—Sue McMahon

Photos in this column can be enlarged by
clicking on them once, then clicking on the x
in the top right corner to come back to Medusa.