
Title – Still Standing
Artist Eileen M, Clark February 2026
Poetry Book~ available on Amazon https://a.co/d/9YgsFWj

Title – Still Standing
Artist Eileen M, Clark February 2026
Poetry Book~ available on Amazon https://a.co/d/9YgsFWj

Today is Friday February 27 2026. I am painting every day now, it helps to fill up my days until spring comes. It is a nice sunny and warm day but I’m told that won’t be lasting for long. As soon as spring is here all my painting will stop and I’ll be working on my container gardening on my two decks. I do enjoy that so much more.
now available on Amazon https://a.co/d/9YgsFWj

Beavers work hard on their homes to survive
Building river dams can help wildlife thrive
Wide tails help balance when carrying a heavy log
Also as a rudder when swimming in thick fog
Slamming tails on water is warning of attacks
No doubt there’s no time for the beavers to relax
The very young are taught to swim on their backs
All of this, my friends, is giving you beaver facts
Poem Eileen M. Clark February 2026
Artist Eileen M. Clark
My Poetry Book
Available on Amazon https://a.co/d/9YgsFWj

Hello friends, step into a world filled with warmth, sincerity, and gentle humor in this heartfelt poetry collection. My poems embrace the small joys of life, from my childhood memories and the playful spirit of animals to the quiet beauty of nature and the journey of my dealing with rheumatoid arthritis.
Here you will find thoughtful poems for adults and charming poems for children, making this a treasure trove for readers of all ages. Also many of my paintings are displayed throughout this book.
It was Laine Penney, my son in-law that took the beautiful picture for the jacket of my poetry book, That picture also inspired me for the title of the book, thank you Laine.
My daughter Valerie Penney is credited for all the editing done in my book, and the love and patients she gave to me, this very old and inpatient mother. Thank you Valerie.
It is now available on Amazon https://a.co/d/9YgsFWj

Waking up this morning to a dark and dreary day It was cloudy, so gloomy and dismally gray It's damp in my house, cold air seeps throughout A day for staying in bed, of this I have no doubt
Slipping back down under my covers for a bit longer Hear the rain turning to sleet, the winds getting stronger Weather like this usually turns into a deep freeze The barometer on my porch shows it's just six degrees
Later in the day a dazzling sight of iced bushes and trees Branches were bending and crackling in a frosty brisk breeze Sparkling Icicle chimes was the sound from this splendor A glorieuse gift from the heavens above could be the sender
Author Eileen Clark Written December 2024
We are having an ice storm here in Irvine Kentucky January 2026 and this is my yard. I have tools to make my photos look framed like this.

See how happy she looks, and she loves to decorate her front porch. Oh, did I tell you she’s my daughter and she gets that from me, so cool.

My kitten's name is Willow Yes I named him after the tree It's called a Weeping Willow Thou' it makes my kitten happy
He plays under the tree every day Breezes cause the branches to sway This makes Willow chases them around It's easy to do for they touch the ground
Author Eileen M. Clark 2026

Hi, it is a beautiful winter day here in Kentucky. It is January 9th. and the temperature is 69% ! My three awesome cats are enjoying it to the fullest. Sleep well my kitties, it may be the last nice day you all will see until April.

A book, I think, is very like
A little golden door
That takes me into places
Where I’ve never been before.
It leads me into fairyland
Or countries strange and far
And, best of all, the golden door
Always stands ajar.
gallery-of-babel.tumblr.com.


My Visitor 2026
We have a squirrel feeder on the tree filled with corn and a couple of cobs on the ground near it. Every day at different times of the day, this deer and other ones come to eat. Sometimes it’s a young deer with a parent further away watching and other times it’s just one older deer. They are very cautious looking up and around constantly while eating in fear of a human seeing them.
Artist Eileen M. Clark

Trying to keep him safe in the grassy knoll
Many predators around hungry and bold
I don’t like always having to fuss and scold
He will understand more when he gets old
Artist and Poem Eileen M. Clark
Watercolor December 2025

On the dirt road, there I stood looking at our old gray barn
Barely standing, the roof caved in, it still had some charm
As I gazed at this image, I heard the sound of children’s laughter
I could swear it was coming from inside, high up in the rafters
~*~
My cousins and I would play on the wildflower covered hills
One day I came up with this crazy idea that would give one chills
I dropped my little body down to the ground as if I had fallen dead
They pulled wildflowers up by the roots and dumped them on my head
~*~
Dirt fell on my closed eyes, my mouth, and into my nose
I had to keep from sneezing so that I wouldn’t be exposed
Expecting to hear them crying with grief and deep sadness
Instead, they jumped around singing with joy and gladness
.
So I’m laying there thinking, this is complete madness!
Poem Eileen M. Clark
Artist Eileen M. Clark
Well I fear
Winter is here
It’s not gonna be a good year
Got nothing for me to cheer
Don’t have me a winter coat
Got no scarf for my throat
Mama says have no fear
Papa’s gonna bring home a deer
Uncle Joe brewed a keg of beer
So ya all can sit back and jeer
Guess it is gonna be a good year
Author Eileen Clark

It's really fun driving through little country towns
The fall seasons are the best for driving all around
Colorful decorations cover each house on the streets
You can tell when the neighbors are trying to compete
Most use pumpkins of every shape color and size
Keeping it cleaver and tasteful would be very wize
Others might use corn stalks or even bales of hay
Those are the folks that got a little carried away
My cat likes to sit along side ours to catch a bit of sun
Among all the decorated house, mine is the perfect one
I keep it like this September, October, and November
Then let the fun begin again cause here comes December
Author Eileen Clark Oacober 2025

I didn't do it, that should be obvious for you to see For some silly reason you guys want to blame me Hiding in boxes and bags that's what we cats do
Blame other critters for drinking your trout stew
I'm not the bad guy, just tryna stay out of your way
There are other cats around, I'll bet it was a stray
I'm big, old, and fat, which makes me not so quick
So don't try to pin it on me, it's never gonna stick
Author Eileen Clark
October 2025
Beautiful cat painting by Karen Hollingsworth https://www.karenhollingsworth.com/

Well it's needless to say I'm not getting any work done to day Knowing full well my schedule is tight I am certain in this my cats take delight
Yes I have cats, last count it was three As challenging as you think that might be Navigating a wheelchair around them can be intense At the same time writing poems doesn't make sense
Working on three websites for me can be a thrill Making sure the bird and squirrel feeders are full Taking care of my spiritual needs is a daily pleasure Writing a new poem each day, now that's the real treasure
Author Eileen Clark 2025

Fall is here once again
Only I can remember when
You and I walked many hours
Through the leaves feeling loves
powers
Far beyond this quiet man
The colder feelings now began
Not just leaves turning red and gold
Your love is turning crisp and cold
Fall is here once again
Was my favorite season, but then
Quickly it passes now into frost
I never see it, my love is lost
Far beyond this quiet man
I was expecting a ring on my hand
The leaves fall, no sound, no delight
Gone forever into the cold winter night
Eileen Clark 2021

This is one of over a hundred poems you will enjoy in my poetry book.
Image:https://abstract.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/570687/https://spillwords.c

Giving you a peek at the expected categories in my poetry book.
Cats, Children, Fun, Nostalgia, Nature, Seasons, Pondering, and Eileen.
I have been writing poems for over the past twenty years and collecting them in a notebook. I’m so excited to now be sharing them with you.
Thank you for your nice comment Selma Martin.

This little cutie showed up in our backyard Friendly to my husband, me she kept her guard Walking on the grass to her was something new A cage with cement floors she might be more use to
Took her to the vet to see if planted in her might be a chip She had heart worms, hook worms and cancer on her hip Many front teeth were missing, was she trying to escape We'll keep her for awhile, try to get her back in shape
I Posted her picture on Facebook, so what will be her fate If no one comes to claim her, that really would be great It's been several weeks now and I haven't heard a peep It gives me great joy to know this beauty I get to keep
Author Eileen Clark 2025
She is my daughter and son in-laws dog. I wrote the poem for them. They have had her two years now and call her Pebbles. This little bed she is sitting on, Valerie say’s she will pick it up in her mouth and move it to where thay are sitting and sit back down on it, what a gem she is. She is a very happy dog, loves to jump and play and is no longer afraid of woman , she’s a real dog now and she also has a chip !

Each day that goes by, that passes
No longer any help are my glasses
I’ll keep copying and pasting the tiny print
Words turn giant that were the size of lint
I take delight in being a painter and a writer
I’ll be smart and make my world brighter
Everything that I read I will have to enlarge
Telling myself, I will not let this take charge
It’s good we are living in the age of techodology
Providing an abundance of tools to help me see
Being creative as I am aging stimulates my mind
I want to do everything before I am completely blind.
Author Eileen Clark 2025

Hello friends, a book of my poems called, “Catching The Sun” is in the process of getting published and should be released in a few months. I am so excited about this because it is a dream being fulfilled after so many years of writing.

Although I’m a little limited in my way of life
I don’t often get to lonely or filled up with strife
I have a little partner that is always hanging around,
He keeps me happy,seldom do you see me frown
He’s watching closely from the back of my chair
People that approach me, do so with much care.
His secret is well hidden in his soft little paws,
If you mess with me, out will come his sharp claws.
I’m not trying to frighten you, so here’s the deal
Just me giving you caution, to you I do appeal.
It’s better for you to know right from the start,
This little guy has secured me in his little heart.
Author Eileen Clark 2025

My lavender chair sits in lavender flowers I sit among them for hours and hours So much beauty around me abounds I hear them whispering flowery sounds.
Feeling a soft breeze on my hair and face The Lavender sways with elegant grace Taking in all of the sweet lavender smell Each little flower is shaped like a bell
No other color could this yard chair yield Knowing it was meant for a lavender field Thinking to myself as I look up at the blue sky What a wonderful place to be buried when I die
Author Eileen Clark






It’s been a very interesting summer this time around. This morning my daughter saw a family of turkeys just strolling through our back yard. I was still in bed so she knew I would want pictures of them and I was so happy she had taken some. Then you remember I had the deer visiting a couple of times in our yard. Sometimes just one, another time it was mother and baby and other times three would be there, just busy eating the green bushes and tall grass. They had no fear of there surroundings which say’s a lot about our neighborhood.
A beautiful couple of light lavender Gladiolus that I had planted came up, but I got such a surprise. When they were slowly fading away two new ones popped up out of the dirt and they were the prettiest bright yellow, I was not expecting that! My beautiful exotic Canna lily after a long wait just bloomed this week, as you can see it is gorgeous! And last but not least, the unexpected sunflower that came from a bird that must have lost it from his beak while in flight and it fell in my large flower pot on my big deck. What joy that gave everyone in my family, yes it’s been a very interesting and pleasant summer.

Here I am at the ripe old age of eighty-two Can’t say I’m still standing, that wouldn’t be true I use a power wheelchair to get myself around As for my mental state, I think I’m fairly sound
I need some help in the morning getting out of bed The caregiver then makes sure my two cats are fed I eat some eggs or maybe a cheese danish instead Some scriptures from my Bible next will be read
It still seems strange not having far to look ahead It’s not that it wasn’t there right along, often I have said But now it’s right in front of me, so I should not dread It’s a fact, eventually every one of us will end up dead
Author Eileen Clark
I wrote this a couple of years ago so I'm really 85 now, it just doesn't stop.
Image: Amazon -Farmhouse-Country-Sunflower

It’s not looking to good but don’t worry, it will be back next spring. I am harvesting lots of the seeds and putting them in an envelope marked, Glorious Sunflower Seeds.

In Flight

Made Contact!

The Hummingbird
Tell me why the Hummingbird holds such a fascination
Watching them out the window is my full time occupation
They don’t wake me in the morning with a beautiful song
I can’t take their picture, they don’t stay still for very long
Yet early spring I hang up my Hummingbird feeder
Watching for the first male that is called their leader
They are very thirsty from their long migration trip
And know that I have plenty of nectar for them to sip
The dazzling ruby throated is incredible to see
Thousands from the tropics land in every county
Swift moving wings makes a lovely humming tune
All of my summer days for certain they will consume
Author Eileen Clark 2022

My son in-law took this beautiful picture last evening showing the sun settting behind the sunflower.

Some bird gave me the most glorious gift
A sunflower seed from it's beak went adrift
Landing in a large pot of dirt on my deck
As it started to grow, I gave it little respect
Thinking it was a weed, I tried to pull it out
Stubborn it was, I yanked it with a hefty shout
So have it your way then, water you'll go without
Still It kept growing taller in the midst of a drought
Finally there it was reaching up to the sky
A crown of glory, thankful it did not die
Looking down and showing off it's mighty power
Was the most beautiful golden yellow sunflower
Author Eileen Clark June 2025
Authors note: this poem came from actual events and the image is the awesome sunflower on my deck thanks to the birds.

I love to garden as folks well know
I planted some seeds, Coleus Rainbow
I water every day and it seems so slow
I'm waiting for something soon to show
And then I decided to use a special brand
Wow! some might say it got out of hand
Not so, I think my plants are ever so grand
Maybe even the best in the entire land
A friend told me what they all need Miracle-Gro really does the job indeed
And with such effortless Speed!
Author Eileen Clark 2025







and then I remembered I have plants that depend on me.
Top image courtesy of https://www.instagram.com/p/DJetha9saAR/

There is nothing more delightful that I could possibly do Then to sit down to a early spring breakfast with you Our table next to a window catching the morning sun rays A wonderful way to have happy thoughts throughout my day
By sharing with you a cup of coffee and a sweet warm buttered roll
Not only will it satisfy my hunger, it will bring peace to my weary soul
Author Eileen Clark 2025

The freeze seeping through my jacket and gloves
Brings little this early morning to a ranchers loves
It should make me go back down the road to my bunk
I’ll tell ya what keeps me in this saddle squarely sunk
The rising steam of hot coffee warming up my face
And the breath of a hundred Herefords filling my space
Author Eileen Clark
Artist: Don Marco

always sad
long walks alone
Mother’s weighty
Eats nothing but salads
Don’t sit at table
Too jealous of child
It gets colder with age
Skinny since birth
long walks away from home
Time changes nothing
Gets bigger each year
still trying to lose weight
Eat salad, stay home, don’t run
No new dresses.
I want to thank Dagmara K. Chief Editor | Editing Department, for publishing my work on Spillwords, please go visit and enjoy, best regards, Eileen Clark

A bird the color of black and blue Is very loud like a nagging shrew Always the bully at the bird feeder No other bird is more greedyer They are so shameful and so rude They will even steal your pets food
Author Eileen Clark
Artist Eileen Clark

My childhood days were a little bit rough
My father was a mean man, angry and gruff When he was home in my room I would stay Hiding under my bed and softly I would pray
What got me through the early years of my life Was a little blue book that helped me with strife In this poetry my heart and soul I would immerse Yes, I was saved by "A Child's Garden Of Verses"
Author Eileen Clark 2025

~This is not just a poem~

Now that I’m old, retired and living alone
It’s so quiet and lonely, just me in my home
So I’ll get a cat, or a kitten might better do
It won’t be exciting, but least there’ll be two
Oh, what I’ve been missing, it’s amazing to me
So much fun, so much laughter, so much energy
And then the quiet moments curled up in a ball
On the couch, the bed, my slippers left in the hall
I marvel and wonder upon this little creature
As she sleeps I gaze upon her every feature
Little pink pads on the bottom of her paws
And a tiny pink nose, I believe she has no flaws
The most magic moments are at night when in bed
Her warm little body lying cross the top of my head
The soft sound of purring tells of no fear ever to be
Oh, what I’ve been missing, it’s amazing to me
Author ~ Eileen Clark
Artist ~ Eileen Clark
2025

Grandma has some flowers that I like a lot Thay are in a very pretty white flower pot It has a red handle and red trim on the top
She told me she bought it at an antique shop
Explaining to me the value years ago it had If you didn't have one it could be kinda sad They were always kept right under the bed Trips to an outhouse in winter one would dread
Author ~ Eileen Clark – January 2025
Artist ~ Eileen Clark

There is rustling in a field of tall grass The color in the late sun, golden brass Quickly turning in the direction of the sound Catching my breath, feeling my heart rapidly pound
Will they spot me, get frighten and bolt Familer with this behavier from my colt Catching this moment, I try to take it all in Knowing it may never ever happen again
Author Eileen Clark
Artist Eileen Clark ~January 2025

This deer was eating the corn that falls from the squirrel feeder. ~ Feb 26, 2025

The Paper Boy All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered newspapers. My brothers delivered the newspapers six days a week. It cost 7 cents a paper, of which they got to keep 2 cents. They had to get up at 6 AM every morning.
On Saturday, they had to collect the 42 cents from their customers. The favorite customers were the ones who gave the boys 50 cents and told them to keep the change. The least favorite customers were the ones that seemed to never be home on collection day. Rain, snow, and summer heat never stopped the paper boys from getting the papers to every customers home
At My House
My brothers were paper boys in the early forties, they were in third and fourth grade, let’s see, I guess that would have made them about 9 and 10 years old. It was in the city of Hartford Connecticut. They delivered them after school and used a red wagon instead of bikes, we couldn’t afford bikes.
We were Irish Catholics living in an Italian neighborhood and that meant trouble for the boys, especially my younger brother because he had bright red curly hair and big freckles all over his pale white face.
You may wonder why that would be trouble for the boys . The Irish and Italian’s did not mix together in those days. The Italian boy’s named Joey, Rocky, and I don’t remember the other boys names would be on the corner when the bundle of papers were dropped off, then folded and placed in the red wagon by my brothers. Rocky and friends showed up just to make trouble for my brothers. They would scatter the papers all over the streets and passing cars would carry them off on their hoods, roofs and trunks never to be seen again. Other times Rocky and friends would wait until the papers were all folded and stacked neatly and ready to be delivered, then the bully’s would push my brothers aside and throw the papers all over the streets. No one could do anything about it and the boys just took it. Well it did escalate to the point where Rocky and friends were waiting on the corner along with, this time untouched papers.
They had other plans this particular afternoon.
They wrapped white adhesive tape all over the boys heads and my brothers went about there job delivering all the papers wearing this horrid tape looking like they had white caps on their heads. My mother had to cut most of there hair off and they went to school the next day almost bald. The following day my mom, dragging my reluctant brothers along went directly to the principle’s office to give Father O’Malley a “Show and Tell” complaint. The Father questioned my brothers, asking for names until he was blue in the face because my brothers would not tell, “squeal” on Rocky, Joey and friends. The very next evening the Italian boys were waiting on the corner for my brothers. The news papers were all folded and stacked in a neat pile. As soon as the boys appeared, Rocky and friends placed the folded papers nicely in the red wagon and walked away.
That was it, not a word was spoken, they just walked away! My brothers were never bothered again by Rocky, Joey, and the other friends of theirs or anyone else. An interesting observation, every now and then when my brothers got to the corner where the bundles of papers were left off for them, they would find a nicely folded stack of news papers ready for the boys wagon and they knew they were safe from not just Rocky and friends but from any other bullies that might be around. I’m guessing the word got out, don’t nobody mess with the Irish paper boys because the Italian boys were watching over them.
Author Eileen Clark
Photo Credit: https://www.ebay.com/itm/274730984744
1942 Boys Delivering the Newspaper Vintage Old Photo 8.5″ x 11″ Reprint | eBay
Open windows, clear out winters graying dust,
Let in Spring, green fresh air is a must.
Breezes blowing the curtains to a happy sound,
White picket fences stroll along the ground.
Shaded houses under big old oak trees,
Life is good, thank Jehovah on bended knees.
by Eileen Clark
Image:Found on Pinterest