Hi. Welcome to my website. I'm Kanda, an author and a poet. I'm also a retired psychotherapist, prayer and bible study leader, new grandmother, and have been a wife, mother, and mother-in-law for awhile.

 

My poetry has been around much longer than the book I've written. I actually have a funny story to share with you about one of my earlier poems.

 

I met my husband in college. That was back in the day when you wrote letters and made phone calls on the weekends, because it was cheaper. During the summers when we were home, Scott and I wrote love letters to one another from Colorado to New Mexico, and back.

 

Our first summer of dating, I came to visit him and his family in Colorado. Scott was the oldest, with a younger sister, and a brother who was six years younger. He and his brother had a loving relationship, with teasing thrown in. While I was there, Scott was in a teasing mood.

 

Scott's parents, Scott, Jeff and I were all sitting in their cozy family room. His parents were sitting in their special chairs in the corners of the room while I was on their long orange sofa with Scott, with space between the back of the couch and their brown paneled walls. By this time, Jeff was standing.

 

Scott might have been showing off since I was there. Jeff was pretty savvy and could tell. They were both on a roll with the teasing. It finally came to a point when Jeff told Scott to stop or he would be sorry. Scott kept going.

 

Suddenly, Jeff said, "I told you to stop."

 

Next, he began to recite something like this,

"Our class retreat in the woods,

and a dinner that night.

The fireplace too hot,

so we went on a walk,

in the cool moonlight.

The forest became dark and black.

That's when I met my honey with a smack."

 

In an instant, without thinking, I threw myself into a flip over the back of the couch. I remained there with my face flushed red while I heard Jeff say, "I told you to stop."

 

Scott was up on his feet and they began a brother-to-brother tussle until their dad, who was a big man, stood up to stop it.

 

It took me awhile to come out from behind the couch. I had no idea I already had an audience memorizing my poetry.