Patchwork Prose and Verse
when we came home
from our camping
weekend, there he was
hanging out in the
pine trees slated for
clear cutting
in these trees he’s loved
for years, where I too
have loved watching him
soon his mate appears
and they swoop
from tree to tree
and I hope to God
there is no little
owlet tucked away
in the safety of
a doomed tree
a honeybee
took a liking
to my Cayman Jack
margarita
climbing into
the bottle
taking a long swig
then a dip
then a plunge
then a swirl
and died
a senseless
death as I
tried to help
her back
to a better life
but she
refused to
admit her
problem ~
she’s buried
at campsite 301
by the fire pit
a pollinator
extraordinare
her life cut
short by
the delusional
pleasures of
this world
a tiny black wet
Schnoodle nose
nudges my arm as
marble-black eyes
covered with wild brows
peer up at me
from the camper seat
when I lift my arm
to raise my mug,
drink cold brew coffee
from my Halloween
Snoopy mug I truly
believe will make
the cool temperatures
arrive sooner ~
Fitz is slumped
against me,
seeking, too, all
the magic of
forthcoming fall
the changing
of seasons, gentle
wind blowing outside,
a tad early for the
acorns peppering the
camper’s roof but
all the rest of
the comfort of rituals
he knows as
reassuring trust
and belonging
in his forever family
next time he
goes to a
storytelling night
he will time his
cliffhanger at
exactly two and
one half minutes
and then when
they tap that
ridiculous spoon
on the coffee cup
to signal thirty
more seconds
he will smile
return to his seat
leave everyone
hanging
and sit down
Today: Book Launch Day
order your copies to read
and to pass along!
(see the links below)
🌟 Exciting News! 🌟
We’re thrilled to announce the release of our new books designed to inspire and support teachers in creating classrooms where every student feels seen and heard. 📚✏️
Free download here: http://www.ethicalela.com/store
Free download here: https://open.library.okstate.edu/justya/
For sale here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Sarah-J.-Donovan/author/B01GLZG89Y
Want to hear the story behind the books? Watch this video where we share the journey and heart behind these resources that aim to bring more connection, creativity, and compassion into your classrooms. 🎥✨
👉 https://youtu.be/tdRSC0dYPgI?si=QR9E7mY0l7LWGqX8
We can’t wait to see how these books will spark creativity and foster community in classrooms across the country. Happy reading and writing! 💙 #NewBooks #TeachingResources #PoetryInClassrooms #InclusiveEducation #90WaysofCommunity #WordsThatMend #JustYA
in my melatonin dreams
the cemetery trees
hung low over the corner
graves in a
chain link grocery store
parking lot ~
going in for milk and eggs
I couldn’t
believe my eyes.
A refrigerator.
a pine box with a plunger
stuck to the top to open it
for anyone who wanted to
see the body inside, there
above ground
no one would believe this~
I took a picture
then woke up
horrified that anyone
would be buried in
a display grave
folks raise eyebrows at
kids with imaginary friends
holding full conversations
in complete worlds they
never see
but oh,
that kid with the
imaginary friend?
yeah, that one’ll be
a writer, and and that’s
the muse setting the
stage for all the stories
all the poems
all the books
all these memories
this journey that
fuels the pen
it occurred to me
in the shower
this morning that
the work shoes
I just bought
may be the last ones
I’ll need for my career ~
these last-hurrah celebration shoes:
Life Stride flats with
Velocity 2.0 footbeds
in navy and taupe
may get me through my
remaining years
taking me straight into
the retirement years of
my soul spirit
classic hippie Birkenstocks
for all the frayed denim
and fringed shawl
days ahead
just not today,
not yet.
somebody woke up
grumbling, growling
snarling over space
scrapping, snapping,
licked my sleeping face
tussling, pulling, beckoned
me to play
early morning
Schnoodles
greet the day
heightened awareness
sharpened observations of
places not traveled
I notice details ~
patterns on tiled floor lobbies,
artwork on bed walls
like something ignites
the flames of living in me
I don’t have at home
