For Real Toads: musical challenge, Patti Smith

Marian's musical challenge today at Imaginary Garden with Real Toads features a longtime multi-media artist and Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame member named Patti Smith: songwriter, singer, musician, poet, journalist, actor, author, activist, who is as young as springtime and as old as I am.
Patti won the National Book Award for her autobiography Just Kids, and our Marian is going to see and hear her, perhaps meet her, next week, but first she introduced Patti to the writers at Real Toads as an inspiration for our poetic imaginations.
I was so sure I'd be inspired by Patti's song Wing, because I love the phrase "a wing on heaven blue" but instead the second song Marian posted turned out to be the one to inspire me to write this little poem:

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Wikipedia photo
Smith performing with the
Patti Smith Group, in Germany, 1978

almost every road

is just a road—

but the one

that’s paved in gold

is the one

paved with love

and friendship

paved with warmth

companionship

and laughter

paved with care

for others—

all those

who care

and share

and help

and heal

and walk

with us

are gold

Book Blurb Friday: snow, tree and house

Each week, on her blog Writing in the Buff, Lisa Ricard Claro hosts Book Blurb Friday. Lisa invites writer-bloggers to take a close look at the photo she has provided (this week a picture by Tammy Goodsell) and imagine it is the cover of a book for which we've been asked to write a blurb (maximum 150 words). Each blurb should convince book-browsers to become book-buyers.

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Deep South, Deep Snow

by Chevy Ford

Illustrated by Tammy Goodsell

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The old pillared mansions of the Southland had never had to endure such weather.

Suddenly, snow covered all of the roofs and some of the verandas. Some of the old mansions were occupied only by elderly spinsters, who had no idea what to do about snow.

Of course, the warm southern sun soon chased it away, but not before enterprising young boys had gone out with flat shovels and even brooms,  knocking on doors, looking for snow-clearing jobs.

One grande-dame invited her snow-cleaner to join her for a cup of hot chocolate, and her life changed forever.

In this heartwarming tale of friendship across the generations, you’ll find out age really doesn’t matter. It’s the thought that counts.

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122 words not including title information