And So I Read

And so I read of lands near and far
Of voyages of the sea guided by a star
And you dear child will come to hear
Of travels of peril and times of fear
What man has done for gain and pleasure
What is gathered as spoils and as treasure
And tell you of Lords, Barons and Royalty fine
The Kings and Queens of days of past time
There will be stories of gardens and fields in bloom
Of love, grace, sunrises, sunsets and a crescent moon
Of stars and galaxies in vistas far and wide
Of oceans, ebb and flow and constant the changing tide
Of times of tears, despair, question, doubt, concern
And then the understanding, the resolve, the lesson in turn
Upon pages there be recorded words of longing and desire
Passions known to light the depths of soul's fire
Yes, dear child, these marks speak many a word
Within be found a calling, eternal Spirit be heard.

Rose Marie Raccioppi



Auguste Reading To Her Daughter, Oil on canvas, 1910, Mary Cassatt, 1844-1926.

♡
In Gratitude to
Chris Strawbridge
his generosity of heart and spirit
his faith in inspiration shared.

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Ashes, ashes, we all fall down

I remember once upon a time
There was delight in each nursery rhyme
No thought was given to what I did say
It was just a part of frolic and play
And then the facts and figures and reason came
It was no longer quite the same
Jack and Jill still went up the hill
But Jill was not to tumble still
And should not Humpty Dumpty know his call
And not sit on that wall at all
When will Little Miss Muffet learn to stay
Even if a spider came her way
Ashes, ashes, we all fall down
Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.

Rose Marie Raccioppi



Ashes, ashes we all fall down, Rose Marie Raccioppi, THE WIND AND THE WILLOW, 2008, Publish America.

Mrs. Duffee Seated on a Striped Sofa, Reading, 1876, Mary Cassatt, American, 1844–1926, Oil on panel,The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA

At the Start

Does that longing set at the start
At that moment the cut given to part
Held in a mother’s womb you be
Then with birth newly free
From lifetimes of pleasure and pain
Life now a newly set game
Yet the need for care and protection to grow
Discount and dismiss what you deeply know
And then I am as others perceive me to be
Lost I somewhere in the shadow of me
The soul sings freedom a welcomed refrain
Then gone the shadow then gone the pain
The longing that had its start
In this moment does depart
And I in freedom and light cease to be
Somewhere lost in the shadow of me
Guided by TRUTH and God's loving care
Stand I free of longing and despair.

Rose Marie Raccioppi



Mother Combing Her Child's Hair, c.1901, Mary Cassatt, The Brooklyn Museum, USA

Gather We Must

With right intention and purpose clear
Abiding faith and vanquished fear
Heed the warnings and the plea
Heard in the winds and the sea
Pillage not the earth that gives
To each and all that grows and lives
Gather we must a knowing wise
Step beyond the perpetrated lies
Poisoned profits no longer to bear
Our children's call is for our care
Health and well being priorities set
The challenge of change to be met
An agenda and an action plan
Together yes, YES WE CAN!!

Rose Marie Raccioppi



Children Playing on the Beach, 1884, Mary Cassatt, American, 1844 - 1926, oil on canvas, 38 3/8 x 29 3/16 in., Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, 1970.17.19