With a closet full of clothes
unworn in years
or even never
I challenged myself this past twelve months
to buy no new clothes

Invited to a gala
to celebrate a new year
I searched my wardrobe
for something festive
black of course
but with sparkles

There it was crumpled
in the back of the closet
an old black velvet dress
inherited from my mother
and a gauzy black cape
speckled with glittering threads
bought years ago when my girls were teens

I’ll be dressed tonight in the depth
of a year of seeing the old, the wrinkled,
the forgotten, the out-of-style
with new eyes for new potential
to start fresh with what’s
already here now

I challenged myself in 2017 to only buy the necessary, like socks or a replacement water heater. It was an interesting experiment.  I didn’t spend time looking at ads or stressed about deciding which…

Winter is here! Snow and ice are everywhere–just as New Year’s revelers are preparing to hit the roads! So be careful, folks. And obey the signs!

Well, OK, not all signs.

Disgusting weather alert!

It’s all that snot that did it!

Works for me.

Shouldn’t have eaten so much cake.

Warning: Darwinian conditions ahead.

If you get stuck, ask for help. But be careful who you ask.

Lord, is there such a thing as un-praying?

Ah, what’s a little snow, eh?

No comment.

Two pieces of sizzly, juicy quiche
Nose to nose on a plate
Waiting to be devoured
Two steaming cups of coffee
So much better than one

Two people cuddled up together for a time
In a warm cozy bed
As dawn breaks on the first
Chilly morning of fall
So much better than one

Two mourners
One sitting at her mother’s graveside
Holding her father’s hand
One standing above her
Gently rubbing her shoulders as she weeps
So much better than one

Two lovers sitting out on the back patio
After the obituary and the service is written
And the sisters are gone
Gazing up at the Harvest Moon
Listening to love songs
So much better than one

(c) Jane Ellen Holliday Wilson
October 2017