Education

is an old-fashioned word.

It smells of musty books

in libraries

with mahogany shelving.

It’s in the pensive frown

of a gray-haired professor

as he makes a point in class

or studies a hefty book.

Education

is more:

learning to ride a bike

or to swim;

setting up house;

deciding who is trustworthy

and who is not;

singing in a choir and letting

exquisite harmonies

seep into your mind.

Education

can wound the spirit

or it can make your soul sing.

May your life be more like

a phoenix rising

than the ashes of despair

from which it comes.

Err on the side of joy.

–  Beth Wiltshire

Outside in the rain, Knox

grabbed a sick, and brought it back

 for some indoor play.

When I made him leave

the stick at the door, he 

gave me a look as if to say,

“You’re all wet just like this day.”

JDG

Maybe if we softened

we wouldn’t be 

so hard of hearing

and new ideas could be

planted in otherwise

hardened ground.

JDG

Without intending to,

I moved back and forth

between merry-go-round

and see-saw in my thoughts today

on a  wild ride to nowhere.

JDG

Before this weekend,

when counting my blessings,

I never thought to include

running water among them.

 It took its sudden absence  for me

to see how much I took  for granted.

Now, everyday, I look around

for one taken for granted thing

and offer a heartfelt thanks.

JDG

When the well pump broke

leaving us without water

 this Mother’s Day,  I

wondered if the universe

was making a point about 

the relationship between 

mothers. life, and water.

JDG

Each day I spread the same seed 

 along the same porch rail 

and wait to see who shows up,

who dines peacefully and who starts a fuss.

Every now and then one of them

leaves a shiny tip. I appreciate the gesture,

but their colorful presence is reward enough.

JDG