Choices
natural childbirth
and dying without morphine
do not heroes make
Great Horned Hoot Haiku
Great Horned Hoot Haiku
He wants to play fetch.
I want to do my writing –
write a bit, throw ball…..
write a bit, throw ball…..
Ollie’s morning exercise:
more fun than my pen!
Boo Radley jumps in
bully playmate for Ollie
…write a bit, throw ball….
Ollie spies my straw-
a protein shake conduit-
takes off to chew it….
Sneaky Schnoodle thief!
Fitz observes, licking his paws
from his pillow perch
I often wonder
where they would be now if we
hadn’t rescued them.
The Great Horned Owl hoots
from the tall pines just outside. 🦉
I shutter to think.
🔥 Hot Flash Hell Haiku 🔥
🔥 Hot Flash Hell Haiku 🔥
Hormonal headache
Flaring up at 4 a.m.
Taunting the Synthroid
Puddle of head sweat
Dripping onto soggy sheets
MoRnInG HoT fLaSh HeLL 🔥
Underwear binding
Evil, disloyal traitors
Unforgiving fiends
Leg pillow, ice fan
Trusted friends of menopause
Welcome, mid-fifties!
Nature Watching
Woodpecker pecking
Dog barking
Crickets chirping
Yellow butterfly flitting
Plane passing
Cicadas trilling
Bee buzzing
Squirrel skittering
Bird scolding
Feather floating
Nature watching
Start the Fun!
Start the Fun!
If we Christmas shop
for two a month starting now,
the fun lasts longer!
four boys and a girl
our grandsons and granddaughter –
what joy they bring us!
the excitement in
their eyes when they open gifts
melts our Christmas hearts!
Web
Web
walking three leashed dogs
in this cool, crisp morning air
they’re weaving a web
Autumn Pantoum 🍂
Autumn Pantoum 🍂
pumpkin bread with spiced latte
burning leaves on chilling breeze
drive the weight of stress away
snuggle season, sure to please
burning leaves on chilling breeze
woolen scarves top sherpa throws snuggle season, sure to please
holding hands by fireside toes
woolen scarves top sherpa throws
chili pots, football scoreboards
holding hands by fireside toes
potted mums in twisted gourds
chili pots, football scoreboards
blessed season, won’t you stay?
potted mums in twisted gourds
pumpkin bread with spiced latte
Rains
Rains
the first day of fall
arrived late last night after
washing summer out
Deep Clean Exhaustion
Deep Clean Exhaustion
Windex the windows
Inside, out
Tilex tiles
including grout
Murphy’s the baseboards
and the doors
Shark-steam-clean
the wooden floors
Webster ceilings, walls
and fans
Load dishwasher
Scrub the pans
Vacuum rugs
downstairs and up
Change the sheets
make pillows fluff
Sweep the porches
front and back
Scour the toilets
take out trash
Shine the counters
Dust the chests
Then sit down
and take a rest!
The Best Reason
The Best Reason
you are the one
whose picture I keep pinned
above my desk
for days that I wonder
why I do this
you were my best reason
for teaching
1999: new student
bruised arms, far too thin
you stood
in my classroom doorway
with your grandmother
holding her hand
after she left school
you had a complete meltdown
began breaking pencils
in triads with your bare hands
so many broken pencils
scattered across the floor
your speech was slurred
you had tell-tale tics
I wondered
about your story
learned your grandmother
was your angel
a savior who stepped
in and saved your life
because daddy was gone and
mama had beaten your ears
so severely with shoes
that you could barely hear
when I spoke
you tilted your head
at a sideways angle
to put your one able ear
in position to listen
you took most of your lunch
to your backpack
to share with your siblings
because
there wasn’t much
with six of you
I knew you were sharing
even hungry yourself
I started slipping in extras
for you to find later
you were a child
ahead of your years
knew things your peers did not
were the smartest student
in the class
Principal’s Honor Roll
the kid in Coke bottle glasses
who couldn’t hear
whose smile brought tears
and still does
when I look at that picture
of you and your grandma
smiling in the cafeteria
on Math Night
you are the best reason
that I kept teaching
Common Threads 