February Gift Basket

Rabbit, rabbit! It’s the first day of February, and here we are almost to Groundhog Day again, about to hang all our faith and hope in a soothsaying rodent. It’s 15 degrees here and feels like 3, and I’m not sure whether to wish for more chances of snow for mid-week reading or hope for the greeting of the roadside daffodils.

One type of poem I’ve been writing since last year is a gift basket poem – – what would I give a recipient in any given month of the year? For February, the choice is clear: it’ll be filled with oatmeal colors to help keep you warm. 

If I were giving
you a gift basket
I’d go with oatmeal tones

with items in beiges

all good to the bone!


walnuts and whole oats

an overnight oats kit~
brown sugary raisins

for those healthy and fit


a hand-knitted muffler,

with scarf and a cap
to seal in the warmth

in winter’s dread gap

a book cover beige and

golden in hue – it’ll be

Theo of Golden ~

you’ll laugh and cry, too!


one more thing ~

a toasty Ugg pair
to snuggle the toes

from this icy cold air

January Gift Basket

If I were giving

you a gift basket

I’d go with ticketing

in all this icy blue!

…you’d receive

aquarium tickets

to soothe the stress of winter blah

movie tickets

to take you

and a tub of buttery popcorn

to another world

and ice hockey tickets

to remind you that

if you can’t beat ’em,

you can smash ’em with a stick!

December Gift Basket

One type of poem I’ve been writing this year is a gift basket poem – – what would I give a recipient in any given month of the year? For December, the choice is clear: it’ll be filled with seasonal snowy white wonderland things. 

If I were giving
you a gift basket
I’d go with winter white!


you’d receive
a sherpa lounge throw, electric and soft ~
three settings to warm the winter chill


a Paperwhite Kindle, Signature edition
with stories your heart to fill


and a candle, glowing bright
in the darkest night, a flame for the windowsill

November Gift Basket

One type of poem I’ve been writing this year is a gift basket poem – – what would I give a recipient in any given month of the year? For November, the choice is clear: it’ll be filled with brown things. 

If I were giving
you a gift basket
I’d go basketweave brown!


you’d receive
a caramel cake, fresh-baked and glazed
to gratify all visiting gobblers


a leather-bound gratitude journal
to gather your blessings this holiday season


and a warm wooden photo frame
to season your photos like a perfectly browned turkey ~
a cornucopia of nourishment sure 
to fill your appetite!