Monday, July 15, 2013

Remembering is irrelevant

little blue photo album
holding pictures of two
little girls in dresses
fragile cellophane sleeves
storing moments and places
she doesn’t remember

the milestones of her life
are merely fluttering tableaus
trapped in a still life
shuffled in time like windblown leaves
and collaged in the imperfect memory
of her brain

I wonder what is in that brain—
the mathematician she once was,
the young tennis player, the lazy golfer,
the pack-a-day smoker, the social butterfly
and the college professor--all wrapped into one;
all gone

now, wrapped in a Ralph Lauren quilt
with her name ironed on the hem
with pictures anchored to the walls--
sound muffled, eyes clouded, ever sleepy
yet… she is…
happy to see me.

Monday, July 1, 2013

Charleston Summer 2013

Where is the sky
that fills the happy heart
that makes us sigh?

Where is the blue
that cleans the sorry soul
that we pursue?

Where is the sun
that flickers on the waves
that we can not outrun?

Captured in long wet streaks 
on window panes?
Or as stars pinned to screens?
Or cupped on pink hosta leaves?

Oh rain! Stop not, the sun.
Our boots are full.
Our hair is wet.
We huddle indoors like fools.

Open our darkened eyes
with her buzzy brightness.
Restore hot breath to our lungs
Give us warm hugs of the sun.


TP experiment

I am single, free as a bird.
I have a new lease on life.
In lieu of skydiving, I decide
to investigate toilet paper.

It turns out Great Northern
IS softer than Scott.

It also turns out that
after years of being a Scott TP user,
I seem to create an oven mitt size
wad of TP.  Change is hard.