I love seeing the first light of dawn,
streetlights still on,
the light on horizon rosy and pink,
before people rise, and even think
to let their dogs out to bark at me,
The chorus of birds so loud, you are sure
it will wake people out of their beds,
I turn on my app, and in 2 minutes flat
record a dozen songs,
a barred owl hoot, blue jay screach,
Carolina wren, chickadee,
white-throated sparrow, American crow,
Mockingbird, Northern cardinal,
all here with me, before it’s light,
before the sun is bright,
All these friends sing their songs to me,
All these keep me company.
cfblack, 3-13-26
First light
March 13, 2026The U.S. Steel Tower
March 11, 2026I watched a drone video of Pittsburgh
sent by my daughter-in-law,
It shows a city set in the mountains,
No matter where you go in Pittsburgh,
you’re going to walk either UP, OR, DOWN,
There is no in between.
And then I saw it, the “U.S. Steel Tower”,
“841 feet tall”,
“Pittsburgh’s tallest skyscaper,”
— and I thought, “That’s how far you fell.”
I am one who wants to KNOW,
I want to KNOW what happened,
If I ever have cancer, I want to KNOW,
If I am dying, don’t hide it from me,
I think from the time my father died,
if I think it through, and know the worst,
then anything else is up from there.
I have tried to FIND a building
as high as you were,
when you pulled your reserve,
how long did you have in freefall?
did you even have time to know?
These are the things I think about,
but, the most important message IS,
I know you fell into the arms of God,
I know you never suffered,
I know your spirit is close,
and this is where my thoughts should be.
Your message to me, after your passing,
was always, “Mom, be happy for me!
Be happy, I am HAPPY, I am where I should be!
Make others happy — Be happy for me.”
cfblack, 3-11-26
as time goes on
March 8, 2026As time goes on, it gets harder, not easier.
Easier than that first day, when
shockwaves went through the family,
Harder for minutes, hours, days,
weeks, now months without you
at family gatherings, holidays,
conversations on Star Trek shows,
movies you’d love, but will never see,
birthdays, anniversaries,
without your cards, your thoughtful gifts,
you always sent, on time.
I forget birthdays all the time,
have no idea what to send,
My gifts come late — but not ones from you,
I don’t know how you did it.
You told me once, you had a dream,
You saw Him as the brightest Light,
“My dear one, this is not for you,”
he said to you, of marriage.
You told me once, “I don’t think
I’ll ever be — a Grandma.”
I said, “Of course you will!
It could happen now,
or next year — anytime!”
You looked at me, knowingly,
turned away, walked silently,
We walked some more, you told me
how you memorized prayers.
“Think of a place that you know,
take a walk around it,
drop lines of a prayer here, there,
in your memory.”
In the hospital in 2020,
you floated in and out of pain,
in and out of reality,
in and out of worlds.
You asked us all to help you say
your obligatory prayer,
you spoke of seeing light fragments,
hearts and stars of paradise
all lit up with ribbon and light,
— in God’s eternity.
It seems you lived your life here
in the fullest possible way,
you learned acceptance, patience, love,
you lived your life to the best,
We miss you more as time goes on,
please forgive my tears,
pray for us as we pray for you
and continue through these years.
cfblack, 3-8-26
For my daughter
February 27, 2026It is when I listen
to soulful music,
or open my heart in prayer,
I feel you,
I see you,
and know you are there,
your penetrating gaze,
your honesty,
your deeply blue eyes,
your thoughtful gifts,
your refusal to criticize any soul,
when they had 9 bad qualities,
you’d find the one good,
your love of your boys,
watchful care of your dogs,
your love of Tolkien
and the color blue,
your fierce independence,
your ability
to turn difficulty into opportunity,
your great big loud and joyful laugh,
your love of movies, and of the SKY,
My heart breaks again and again,
and I so miss you, till this life ends,
There’s a veil between us,
and though it is thin,
it keeps us apart
until we join again,
so I thank God for you,
on this rainy day,
and ask you not to go far away,
I go forward in your honor,
do things in your name,
I miss you, my loved one,
till I see you again.
Love,
your mom
cfblack, 2-28-26
(our last time with her, her 48th birthday, 2 weeks before she passed)
Aging
February 21, 2026We all grow older, every day,
our bodies tell us in every way,
We are spirits, having a human time,
which one day comes to an end.
We are old enough to know many souls
who have stepped beyond the veil,
Father, Mother, Brother, Daughter,
Grandparents, many friends,
We all traverse this journey,
we all walk this winding path,
we all come to terms with aging,
and it goes by very fast!
Best we can do is prolong our stay,
Eat healthy, take walks, keep sickness away,
Take vitamins, pills, see doctors, rest,
but also care for that spirit, because,
in the end, IT IS what’s left.
Love your neighbor, visit friends,
Take time to pause, meditate,
Get rid of stuff that you don’t need,
Plant flowers, take time to breathe,
Talk with those who left you here,
You will see them again, they are very near,
They pray for us as we pray for them,
Those worlds are “closer than our life vein”,
Work for peace, paint, dance!
Spread LOVE EVERYWHERE, as best you can.
cfblack, 2-21-26
Life does not promise you peace
January 24, 2026This picture. Inspired this poem.
Life does not promise to bring you peace,
it is not what you expect, or prepare for,
You do not control your Destiny,
You only control your own reaction
to all that is hurled at you.
Even the planets were created
by bits and pieces of rock, in space,
bombarding into each other,
until the masses they created
pulled together by gravity,
pulled them toward the center
and created a sphere,
When life throws rocks at you,
you can react
with anger, fear, sadness,
or Love,
a love so powerful that nothing tears it down,
and you remain centered,
calm
secure
at peace.
“Where there is hatred, sow love,
where there is injury, pardon,
where despair, sow hope,
where there is sadness, joy,”1
“When they poison your lives,
sweeten their souls,
Become ye a center of attraction,
Think ye at all times of rendering some service
to every member of the human race,
Be ye sincerely
KIND.” 2
1 prayer of St. Francis of Assissi
2 quote from the Baha’i writings
Morning comes
January 6, 2026Morning comes,
with its glint of light,
with its “begin again”, ever hopeful,
sense the powers within you,
behind you,
what brought you here,
what takes you forward,
Night is darkest before the dawn,
a buzzing tension in the air,
then light appears,
in all its glory.
Be a candle, be a light,
in total darkness, be a tiny flame.
It means everything.
cfblack, 1-6-26
What do you wish for in 2026?
December 31, 2025I wish for peace.
I wish for change.
For the world to care about cleaning our air,
getting rid of plastic, purifying our oceans,
saving endangered animals, including us,
for coral reefs to stop dying,
for us to take action,
to place a ban on rapid fire rifles,
to take steps toward peace, even baby ones,
to greet our neighbors when we walk,
to uplift conversation when we talk,
to have compassion for the oppressed,
for all children to feel safe when they go to bed.
(prayer for New Year 2026)
Noyes Earl Reid
December 29, 2025Researched my Grandma Mary’s brother, whose names was NOYES EARL REID.
They moved around some. He starts in Bedford & is buried in Bedford. Here is the timeline: Born Aug.25, 1895. (Our grandma Mary was b.Dec. 1899.)— In 1913, he is in Bloomington & was taken to a hospital for “ptaline poisoning from a ham sandwich” (news story). in 1916 he is at 411 W. 3rd St., Bloomington, and registeers for military, saying a reason he can’t serve is supporting his mother Marries in 1918 (lady named Madelin). In 1920, they are living in Indianapolis with HER parents at 1807 College Ave., Indy. In 1930 they are back in Bloomington living at 1303 S. Walnut St. where he works as a fireman and for the RR (railroad). By 1940 they have ret’d TO BEDFORD and live at an address that doesn’t exist anymore: 1021 “R” St. (near RR?) He is working as a “painter, contractor, for Steel Towers). In 1950, they are living at 2130 “P” St. (near 22nd St. it seems) & he AND his wife are working in paint sales at a paint store. (Some years missing here…) At his death in 1983 of leukemia, they were at 1912 19th St., Bedford. Looks to me like it’s maybe at a Boys & Girls Club address today with a parking lot.
Noyes and Madelin have 2 sons, Phillip Earl (1921-96) and Richard Joseph (1927-2002).
Phillip Earl marries Maralou Shakleford and they have a daughter, Martha Diane, and a son, John Curtis (b.1954). Martha Diane marries Steven Barry Geller. There is one son mentioned for them, Max M. Harris Geller. I wonder if he is a son from a previous marriage for Steven, just because of the middle name Harris. He is listed in a newspaper obit. The obit also confirms her brother John Reid.
Richard (1927-2002) marries Ramona Colleen Gipson and they later divorce. They seem to have one son named Joseph S. Reid. Richard marries Celia Lynn _____ and they seem to have 2 sons, Alexander 1988, and Andrew 1992.
Doctor Grandma 