by Summer D Clemenson | Sep 13, 2025 | Poetry
~
I am the kind of civilian that
has already been forgotten
Yet you already want me to forgive
the sins you have poured upon my head
What kind of murder
have you planned for me
That children will be found guilty of
~
Holy holy holy is
my Lord God Almighty
the one you forgot about
While you built your idols
taller and shinier than
the humble and honest
love required
~
What is more pure
innocent or more holy
These are our ministers
But they don’t pay enough
and empathy is for cowards
So when you say this word
You have no foundation to stand on
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Aug 21, 2025 | Poetry
Every Person is Important
I am not just saying this because
I am white
and I think you should hear me
Every Person is Important
I am saying this because I am right
whether my privilege affirms it
or your bias says otherwise
~
Every Person is Important
because the essence of them
the light inside them
is inspired by our Creator
His breath is in their lungs
And each life inspires another
To smile, to cry, to create, to grow
To dance, to love, to hate
~
When there was nothing
there was what was
that spoke the light and the dark
the sea and the land, the vegetation,
the birds, fish, animals, and we
to live together because
Every Person is Important
because without us there is
nothing
~
Before religion and politics
Every Person is Important
Before race and nationality
Every Person is Important
Before sex, gender or who you or I love
Every Person is Important
Before, or after war
Every Person is Important
~
Every Person is Important
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Aug 7, 2025 | Poetry
Sometimes I try to climb back into the embrace of
Our arms entwined and our heart to heart
Of the early days of marriage
While we healed each other from things we only felt but couldn’t talk about
The things we were created to comfort in each other
That no one else could
~
Before words like
Arthritis
Fibromyalgia
Held their own sharp blades
Their own power over my senses
When we could dance all night long
When I didn’t twitch from the day’s stress
When I could cuddle without pain
Before a part of me died to chronic-ness
~
We love out loud
Because the pain is a wall sometimes
I lie as close to you as my body allows
The outside of my thigh can feel your strength
My right arm holds you tight
I can feel your every breath
We have adjusted
And in imperfection as true love does
We listen and heal each other
As we were created to
~
~
by Summer D Clemenson | May 18, 2025 | Poetry
I missed you today
I have missed you lots of days
because you are going through
a quiet phase
You have much that overwhelms you
I understand
because I do too
~
The smell of depression
meets your guests before
they cross our threshold
But I don’t want to talk about it
and you refuse to
So we applaud any success
we can find
~
Melancholy is not my friend
but a regular companion
I don’t enjoy it
but I live in spite of it
I have learned to be careful
when talking about mine
But I wish we could talk about yours
~
I don’t know how to help you
I don’t know if there are
resources that will overcome the no’s
you have been told so many times
No matter what
I love you
I see you trying
~
You know where to find me
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Feb 18, 2025 | Poetry, Politics, Prayers & Thanksgiving
It is hard to think with my human mind
Sometimes my spirit is on fire
And I can’t imagine how to move
The direct path is hard to see
~
Those who live in the spirit
Cannot be judged
They cannot be understood
By those who live in the flesh
~
It is only God that knows
Where I am going
Where we are going
My arms are tired from holding them up
~
The champions that are fighting
Must see that someone is for them
So here I stand with my arms stretched out
I am a beacon of light
~
So many have left love behind
They seek human made things
For validation
For power
For life
But none of this will stand up to fire and brimstone
~
Only LOVE will survive the holy fire
So I stand here
Because the warriors are winning
Even if it doesn’t look like it
~
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Jan 31, 2025 | Opinions, Poetry, Politics
Wednesday January 29, 2025
probably seemed like any other night
Until Headline News screamed
across the television screen
in bright red letters
An American Airlines jet and
a military Black Hawk
doing an annual night proficiency training flight
had collided
~
60 passengers and 4 crew members on the jet
3 soldiers on the helicopter
67 lives lost because of a human mistake
As of Thursday over 100 first responders
are still fishing out bodies from the Potomac
Teen figure skaters returning from
a national meet with
their mothers and coaches
Union steamfitters
from Washington, D.C.
and soldiers we can’t replace are all gone
We will never get them back
~
#47 wants to blame
Diversity Equity and Inclusion programs
because he is emotionally immature
#47 wants to blame
#44 and #46 because generally
people like him think the buck stops with the president
And he can’t bear that
But those who have grown beyond their fears
are much more creative
We want to see the families and loved ones cared for
We want to learn how this tremendous error happened
so we don’t do it again
~
This atrocity is not even about #47
~
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Jan 23, 2025 | Opinions, Poetry, Politics
Things we have never seen before
have happened at his hand
He has encouraged us to give way to violence
and given control to white supremacist
after they had been taught to be quiet
~
On January 6, 2021 our United States Capitol Building
was attacked by a mob of over 1500
They included Oath Keepers
Proud Boys
and Three Percenters
fueled by his rhetoric that his election had been stolen
~
5 people died
many people were injured
including 174 police officers
Four officers committed suicide after it was over
$2.7 million in damages were caused by rioters
Pipe bombs and Molotov cocktails were found nearby
~
Most people were convicted of federal crimes
But he pardoned them all
as soon as he could get his cult members
to elect him again
Probably because it reminded him
of his 2nd impeachment
~
What does this say to us?
That people are only useful
if he needs them
That the police officers that help us
have no authority
and their lives are unimportant
~
I am beginning to wonder
when the second insurrection
will come
~
Photo By Tyler Merbler from USA – DSC09254-2, CC BY 2.0
~
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Jan 16, 2025 | Poetry
I have always had to be brave
I wasn’t allowed to be
my authentic
messy
dysregulated
human self
You assumed you knew me
that I was just like you
~
If it had been safe to be myself
I would ask you about your day
your dreams
why you prefer to be alone
or
at least without me
But you don’t know me
just as much as I don’t know you
~
Since we can never talk about my wounds
They weren’t self-inflicted
while you told me about yours over and over
I’m not fixated on my scars
They just still hurt
and you have a way of reminding me
of the ones I tucked away
~
I have always made excuses for you
but I see that hasn’t helped either of us
You said you loved me
But you called me names
You ignored me
You took joy in humiliating me
Telling my stories to anyone that would listen
~
I will never get it back from you
the way I give it
because you don’t love the way I do
I know trust is lost between us
and so is relationship
That is why I am always afraid
when you walk through the door
I never know which one of you is coming
~
I gave you one more chance
to acknowledge your abuse
but you refused
sealing it with the stink of gaslighting
You are always so afraid
The reason I had to be brave
~
I understand your shortcomings
but I am done making excuses
I deserve to feel accepted
and you can’t communicate
that to me
I have learned to love myself
to create and keep boundaries
~
Now I am at peace with being brave for myself
~
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Sep 20, 2024 | Poetry
I had my team even though I didn’t want them
I wasn’t properly trained
But my uniform was always properly attired
Three yellow chevron on blue was always attractive
and polished
~
An invisible sergeant
I was never given a horse
even though my specialty was cavalry
It is impossible to lead or train
When no one can see you
~
Supervision, guidance, support I gave
for which I was never paid
Or rather I paid very dearly
They knew my value
but I didn’t
~
I saw myself
This old self yesterday
and I understood another part of me
I thanked myself for my service
and let myself retire with honors
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Aug 14, 2024 | Poetry
He is natural in chaos
I used to be but now I make different choices
with all these emotions
He commands the world
regardless of the blood on his face
and I wish the screaming
in my head hadn’t begun
when I saw the gunfire
~
The boy who shot him
had hardly lived
and now he is is dead
Is he paying for crimes
besides his own
Is he collateral damage
much like the bystanders
that felt the impact of his bullets
The father that died
The others that will live
but will never be the same
~
He is the epitome of every bully
I’ve ever known
It was clear when his lips
were red with his blood
I know him
I was terrified of him
How can they not see who he is
But I see him
And I am no longer afraid
He is just another man
~
by Summer D Clemenson | May 3, 2024 | Poetry
It has been a little over a week since
you went home to Jesus
I still have the bruises on my arthritic knees
from when I got on the floor to look under the bed
to make sure you were still alive
I still have your claw marks on my thigh
from when I was washing you
because you had stopped doing that
~
Who would have thought a cat would take up so much of my heart
~
You came to me when I had begun to accept
that I would never give birth to my own child
You were my baby and I took the job seriously
You were my best friend
because you understood when I couldn’t talk about what I was feeling
My idiosyncrasies became your idiosyncrasies
and yours became mine
~
Who would have thought a cat would teach me so much about my heart
~
I miss you at night
I miss saying goodnight to you after you have nagged me into bed
I miss getting up and meeting you in the bathroom
for midnight snuggles
But I love that you seem to visit me in the morning hours in my dreams
I loved that you cussed me out this morning
and I got the best sleep in a week with you lying on my chest yesterday
it makes me not want to wake up
~
Who would have thought a cat could bring out the best in me
~
You helped me in ways no one else could
not because they didn’t want to
but because they had other things to do
You lived to take care of me and help me
learn to take care of myself
to love myself
I am stronger because I had to take care of us
and you needed me to be brave
~
I love you Xavier
You’ll always be my good boy kitty
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Apr 29, 2024 | About Summer, Poetry
I am not afraid of the Spirit within me
I am not afraid of my emotions or memories
that cause physical sensations deep in my muscles
that remind me where I have been
and how far I have come
But I am afraid you will never see or hear who I really am
~
You offered me a gift with
no strings attached
I didn’t say anything about the strings that have always been there
So you must be confessing that
You don’t give anything freely
~
I read somewhere that
when you love someone you want the best for them
when you are attached to them you want what you can get out of them
I don’t have anything else to give you
But when I think of you
I ask God to give you your heart’s desire
~
I don’t want to find you guilty anymore
but you are the one that abused me
You taught your children to treat me like your slave
You are the one that shunned relationship first
There are many reasons I can’t trust you
~
But I still love you
So in my prayers you will stay
~
Note: These flowers don’t have anything to do with this poem but they are pretty and should be remembered. My wife, Karen G Clemenson’s coworkers gave them to her while she was recovering from her hysterectomy.
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Apr 19, 2024 | Poetry
Each step I got to be there for
was magic to me
I wasn’t your mother
I was your Auntie
~
Sometimes I fought for you
because I saw something
your parents couldn’t
They thought it was a weakness
I believed my perspective was a blessing
I didn’t have their burdens
I had no expectations
I just loved you
I just wanted you to be you
~
I didn’t leave you
I went to find and care for me
Without you I would never have known
I was who I am
I found a piece of me in each of you
I am so thankful
to be your Auntie
Your bright eyes may have been
the only ones I let see me
~
You thrive in my dreams and prayers
Everything I do has nothing
to do with anyone but me and God
I hope you can say the same
I would enjoy a relationship
outside the rule of familial traditions
But my real hope for you is
Self-Love, Peace, Creativity and Joy
However you can find it
~
No matter what
I will always be your Auntie
Even if I only see your beautiful smile
while I sleep
~
Dedicated to JJ, AM, JD, CJW, KG and BR
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Mar 5, 2024 | Poetry
This sadness knocks the wind out her
It is heavy like a coat soaked with rain
Carrying it around makes it impossible to breathe
yet she must
Thank You that I knew her
because with out her
I wouldn’t be exactly who I am
She is more than some of the reflection in my mirror
and someone in my dreams
She was an anchor
I am not the only one who loved her
I wish I could dry my mother’s tears
Please carry her
because I never could
Even though I tried
Thank You that are the true anchor
The one that carried us all
The one that still carries us now
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Jan 4, 2024 | About Summer, Poetry
The monster inside of me doesn’t care about what I think
or feel or want to be
I was born with this and I don’t think it cares how old I am
It is part of my genealogy
I see it in ancestors and a few who have come after me
~
I have tried to get rid of this thing that rages
Unlike a few fractures that stayed a long time, I won’t name it
It is a thorn in my side and I have only learned to control me
not the monster that finds joy in causing pain
~
I used to break things to satisfy its temper
Hurting people hurt me too much
The feeling of satisfaction made me want to throw up
I learned to limit myself
to remain sober
to make rules so I am always in control
~
I NEVER feed the monster
I don’t watch fighting, or horror movies or the news
I don’t spent time with people that rely on savagery
I forgive often
I listen to music that makes me happy<
~
The meds I take help me use my tools
I make better choices
My mind works slower and more efficiently
but I never forget the monster
I have more boundaries for myself than for others
~
I see people who have their own monster and I pray for them
God leads me away from my danger zones
I know He can help them too
He doesn’t take the monster because it keeps me humble
It helps me remember that I am imperfect
It makes me work hard to love myself
~
The monster makes it easy to love those that seem unloveable
because I am just like them
Behind my abstinent face with the pleasant smile
I know what I choosing not to do
When the monster is awake
Besides praying it will go back to sleep
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Dec 30, 2023 | Poetry
To know you are so close
but so far away hurts
but I know you have things to do
and I have got used to the ache
I’ve loved you with all my heart
and taught you to think for yourself
~
I’d hoped when you were a grown up
we could be friends
That no matter what they said
you would remember who I really am
How I let you define yourself
and how I delighted in you
~
I am proud of you
I know you are succeeding
Exploring and growing
Even if you are failing and starting over
that’s the best to learn
~
I will always be available
to hear how you conquered your world
have new dreams and visions
To pray for your courage and strength
The thought of you filling my doorway
makes me catch my breath
~
I’ll love you always
I hope for you
Because that is what this auntie does
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Dec 27, 2023 | About Summer, Art, Poetry
Nana told me grandparents understand
I had told her I was sad
I had learned late
it was my responsibility to make time
for Grandma Clem
~
I was baking banana bread
when she came to me
My heart felt warm
and I knew Grandma Clem
was here
~
She told me she knew her son
She knew what he did
It was ok I hadn’t come
to her funeral
Grandparents understand
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Dec 23, 2023 | About Summer, Art, Poetry
I have been the daughter of a fool
For so long I wanted you
to remember you loved me
to choose me one time
~
Back when we built things together
and grew things in the dirt
and danced to Thriller and Three Dog Night
Before you dishonored our home
Before you left
Before you broke all your promises
I knew you loved me
~
When she announced the nuptials
we weren’t invited to
she told me you two were
more important than the rest of us
and you have proven it true many times
~
The letter you sent me for my birthday
implies you think I want you back
Let me be clear
I am not safe with you and her
I have know this for a long time
And unlike you
I am not a fool
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Dec 1, 2023 | Opinions, Poetry
I breathe in because I am human
I say your name because you are human too
I have lived the life of a performer
The lights
the bystanders
the costumes and makeup
They cost too much
I don’t keep my secrets anymore
They are too heavy
I want my yes to be yes
and my no to be no
I need yours to be as close as possible to that too
I don’t want to watch you perform and be worshipped
Your smile shines brightest over coffee
and honesty
and confidence
and God diffusing His knowledge in every place
I have been labeled uptown
I have made peace with that
but I am not hoity toity
I do like elegant things and my style is timeless
I like to present a clean and honest face
The same face
to everyone
That is hard sometimes but I try
If you feel judgement
it is probably me judging me
and then my prayers that God bless us both
You have let me see a little
of you without your costume on
That is the side I like best
and I am literally not talking about
a selfy with no makeup on
I know I am asking a lot
But I don’t trust performers
Please stop inviting me to your shows
until you can at least call me back
Reference: Matthew 5:36; 2 Corinthians 2:14
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Nov 21, 2023 | About Summer, Yarn
I have been purging and letting things go that I don’t want to take care of anymore. After the loss of the second storage unit Karen and I have had together, I have learned that letting things go is a good thing. Some things we lost were valuable, even priceless maybe, but they are just things. Things can be acquired. What is important is relationships and time.
So as it has become time to renew domains, I am realizing that I no longer need KnottyWares.com. All my crochet items listed on the site, marketing gear and even most of my crochet hooks and bobbles were lost in the last storage unit and really I have never sold anything off the site. I sold a few custom items but usually I donated most of the items I made to other nonprofits. I have new crochet hooks and now I occasionally make things for my grand-nephews.
I have slowly changed my email over to summer at goodtimesalways.com because I would rather advertise my blog so even my doctor’s offices know this new address and the only emails I get at my old KW’s address are advertisements. I hate advertisements. So if you want to email me you can remember this email address or go over to the Contact page and send me an email through the form.
I deleted the Knotty Wares Facebook Page on Friday. I thought I would be more emotional about it. I had put so much time and devotion into this campaign; hours were spent on the logo itself. But it was really easy. This tells me that I am truly done with Knotty Wares, which was really started, hoping to have something fun with a friend that really never wanted to do this with me in the first place and eventually we let the friendship go too. That reminds me…I still need to take down Twitter and Etsy. I really tried but I wasn’t successful. I guess I was just meant to give these gifts out of love.
So this translates throughout life as well. We learn what we don’t need to carry around anymore and what is important to hold onto.
~
Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven.
For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Christian, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information.
If you are interested in becoming a Christian…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this:
Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world.
I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me.
I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
Please wait...
