On her seventeenth birthday
she went, as she did last year
and the year before,
to her hairdresser and said
she wanted red.
“Red? Again?” I said.
“It’s a family thing,” she sighed and said.
“On my birthday I go red
and every year
you shake your head.”
JDG
Thanks to many skunks
in our neighborhood, it’s been
a stinking winter.
Contrary to counsel, I
find it no easy
task to go with the flow when
all but the stench is frozen.
JDG
Morning has clearly
come, yet the moon still lingers
in the cloud-washed sky,
sneaking a peek, perhaps, at
how earth looks by light of day.
JDG
She stayed in the room,
but I watched her disappear
when the burst of harsh
words began. She has mastered
the fine art of being in
two places at the same time.
JDG
The lingering smell
of skunk spills across the road,
defying the cold.
~
Bare limbs of winter
reach to the bluest of skies
on a sun-kissed day.
~
The word has gone out –
it’s much warmer inside for
creatures one and all.
JDG
Even at this age
I stand amazed at how odd
the male response can be.
After I pour out my heart,
he turns and asks,
“Do you know what’s on t.v.?”
JDG
There’s something about tea that smooths wrinkles
from worried souls
and brings peace.
Some folks
say
tea
warms both
hands and heart
while others
insist it’s meditation in a cup.
JDG
Sometimes there’s nothing
for it but to start with what
we’ve got. If we wait
til things are perfect, we could
stay forever in
this imperfect spot. Although
perfection’s lovely,
it is not enough. Let’s just
move ahead, trusting in our lot.
JDG
After many productive years I plan
to devote this
new year to
learning
the
sweet
art of
shiftlessness,
accomplishing
less and enjoying more each passing day.
JDG
New year, but same old me. Why couldn’t there
be a complete
makeover
just this
once?
JDG
