Different thoughts

Compromise

My beloved and I

Have different thoughts

About mice

In the house.

We have somewhat settled

On live traps

And an empty

Fish tank

To save them

Until the weather

Gets warmer.

We have not settled

On what warmer

Means.

We have not settled

On oh

So many things

This seems a step

In a good direction.

We have agreed

That the cat

Needs to be

The cat.

We will let her

Do cat things

With the mice.

Calliope

The other cat is too old for hunting. He leaves the mice to the young-un.

She sits

Faithfully

Where the mouse

Last disappeared

Under the hutch.

Only to be coaxed

For a lick

0f yogurt,

Then to return

To her post.

She is forest cat

By birth.

There are no trees

By the hutch

Ah

But she remembers

Prey

She remembers

In her blood

She is 

Predator.

Renewal process

For Jan and David and yes, me too.

Illness brings us

Together

In ways

Little else can.

When we emerge

From Intensive Care,

Realize we are still

Alive,

Begin the process

Of rehabilitation

We see that rehab

Might be

A renewal process

For most anyone.

When we awaken,

Find the world

Is still there

It is stunning

Beyond

Almost

Anything else.

Holy Innocents

I saw the manger from the Christmas pageant next to my office a couple days ago. Mangers are everywhere. Herods are everywhere. Wise men and women are everywhere. Stars are everywhere. The Baby Jesus is everywhere too.

The mangers

Are everywhere

Stored with straw

To remember

Next year.

Herods

Are everywhere

Too.

They have other names

Maybe not

As recognizable.

There is no room

In the inn

They say.

We will find you

They say

No star

Will ever protect you

They say

No wise men

No wise women

Even if

They go home

By another way.

Still

Mangers are everywhere

Stored with straw

We remember.

No matter

How many Herods

No matter

How many.

The mangers

Are everywhere.

We see them

We remember

The Baby

Wise folk

I still think of the Epiphany pageant in which the Wise Folk where portrayed as Native American dancers.

The wise folk

Are on their way.

Our stone nativity

Numbers them

Four.

Scripture

Never says three

Anyway.

I wonder if

Another stone nativity

Got two wise folk

When it

Was packed

In the nativity

Factory.

The wise folk

Are on their way.

They have some days

To arrive

All four of them.

Faith

The ducks mark winter for me. So many ways to mark faith.

It has snowed

For Christmas

The ducks are back

Across the way.

They have waited

For snow

And corn.

The lady in red,

Is a favorite

Of theirs.

I wonder if this

Is part

Of the duck stories

They share

With the ducklings.

Here she comes

Faithful in snow

Faithful in corn

Faithful in red.

Ah faith.

It comes

In so many forms.

Northern Lights

Maybe the next trip?

There is an igloo resort

In Finland,

North

Of the Arctic Circle.

The stars

The Northern Lights

Put the travelers

To sleep

Every night

Or maybe

Keep the travelers

Awake

Every night

Lights and stars,

Stars and lights.

Of course

And cold.

Open your eyes

There they are

The stars

The Lights

There they are

And cold.

Life will return

Purple bow sighting. For David.

The purple bow has moved

Under a front bush.

I thought

It had blown away

But no

My beloved saw it

Hiding

Under a front bush,

Secure

From the elements.

It may be there

Come Lent,

When purple returns

Again.

It reminds us

To be on the lookout

In spring.

Life

Will surely return

In spring

With a tinge

Of purple

Maybe under a bush

Maybe not.

I live small

How long does it take, I ask you, how long does it take to realize I am meant to live small.

I live small.

Years ago

I was told

I need to live

Bigger.

You do not live

Big enough.

You will never reach

All the people

You are meant

To reach.

I live small.

I choose small.

This does not mean

I AM small.

It only means

I throw one pebble

At a time

Into the pond,

Watch the ripples,

Am amazed.

I live small,

Throw one pebble

At a time

Watch

The ripples.

Animal Farm

Why did we find ourselves discussing George Orwell over breakfast? I really don't know, yet there it was. Time for more coffee.

Who else

Discusses Animal Farm

Over breakfast?

We prepare for Christmas,

Talk about

Four legs good

Two legs bad,

Remember the Pageant

Is tomorrow.

My beloved

Has nursery duty.

I will watch

The Baby born,

The animals lined around

The manger,

All legs good

No legs good

Holidays change

For many, maybe for all of us, this is a difficult time, in the midst of cheer. It is important to pay attention to both.

Holidays change.

Often

We would like them

To stay the same.

Holidays change

Every year,

Even as we try

To keep them

The same.

Snow falls.

Snow melts.

We have only to look

At the world

Around us

To realize

Holidays change

As well.

Snow falls.

Snow melts.

My office fills

With tissues

With tears.

Holidays change

Like everything.

Snow falls.

Snow melts.

Tap dance

Memories.

We remember

Her tap-dancing

On the kitchen floor.

Remembered yesterday

When we saw the girl

Monkey hat

Pink skirt

Click through the hallway

At the gym

Tap

Tap

Tappity tap.

Her mother

Was embarrassed.

We weren’t.

Tap

Tap

Monkey hat

Pink skirt.

The exact right floor

For such things.

We remembered

Our daughter

Tap

Tap 

Tappity tap.

Wednesday of Advent 2

Different ways to celebrate the season.

This is my favorite season.

I have made it

To church

Once

On a Wednesday

No candles

No greens

One purple bow

On the sidewalk.

This is grading season

I do not drive

So I worship

At home

But worship I do

This is Advent

My favorite season.

The purple bow

Remains

On the front walk

Reconfiguration

One step at a time. In the meantime, it is also important to grow one's imagination.

Instead

Of moving on

We will stay here

Reconfigure things.

The upstairs

Will no longer

Be needed

For general life.

Perhaps

We will make it

An art gallery

A library

A space for guests

From all over

The world.

Infinite possibility

I say

Infinite possibility.

We will not

Leave it blank space.

First comes

The reconfiguration

Of the first floor.

Then

Only then

The next step.

The calendar fills

The decision of live or artificial has not been made, but the star will stay the same.

The calendar fills

With gifts

To be purchased,

With gifts

To be gilded,

With gifts

Unknown

Until now.

There’s a tree

Out there

Somewhere

Or perhaps

In the basement.

The star remains

The same

As It’s been

For 25 years.

The star is cardboard

With tissue paper

Glued

On the points.

Meanwhile

The calendar fills.

There’s an unknown tree

Out there

Down there.

We garden

For Courtenay, Dave, Callie, and the whole of the family. For all those to whom it applies, which of course means All of us.

For all those sent

To another Realm,

For us who stay behind.

We will know

We will all know

The Whole of it

In time.

Oh if the time

Were only now

For them

For us.

We Garden

In the places

We remain.

We Garden

In the places

We are sent.

Grading season

For my beloved and academics everywhere...and oh yes...for those who live with them.

For academics everywhere

This is grading season.

In our house

It has a tinge of purple

As I celebrate Advent

In the living room.

We are not both

Academics.

Still

Grading season

And Advent

Hold hands

In this house.

I make coffee

Whisper

Encouraging words

Kiss him

On the head,

When I pass by,

Go about Advent things.

I know grading season

Will disappear

Soon enough
Until next term                

Interesting patient

For friends unnamed.

Few people

Choose to be

An interesting patient.

When you walk through

The door

Your interesting malady

Leads the way.

It covers over

Anything else.

All the specialist sees

Is the malady

Front and center.

It sits on your lap

Delights

In pointed questions

Then it can give
Its interesting answers

Positively balmy

It's all relative

The dust of snow

Signals

True December.

Juncos

Have returned

In full

From the North.

We are South

To them

Positively balmy.

It’s relative

To birds.

Some stay all year.

Some leave

For points South.

For some

We are South

Positively

Balmy.

We wait for the whole of it

More waiting for the whole of it

So many of us

Wait

In this season

And beyond.

Children wait

For the usual things.

The rest of us

Think so much more

Is to come

We will never know

The whole of it.

Draft

A military draft is a chilling thought.

My children

Grew up.

They knew a draft

Was cold air

Under the front door.

It could be blocked

By a blanket.

O come

O come

Emmanuel.

May our children 

Now

Know the same.

Decorating for Advent

Maybe we will start a new trend.

The purple bow

Remains

On the front walk,

Reminds us

Every time

We leave,

Every time

We come home:

It is Advent,

My favorite season.

The bow

Decorates

The cement,

Reminds us

As if

We need

A reminder.

How many people

Decorate

Their front sidewalk

For Advent?

Wanna dance?

I meet my companions everywhere

We finished

Dinner

At the local Panera

Dropped off our trays.

On the way

Out the door

An elderly man

Green shirt

Tie

Slippers

Saw my cane

Wanna dance?

He offered.

It took me awhile

To understand

What he said

Wanna dance?

He repeated,

 Pointed to my feet,

Then to his feet.

Wanna dance?

I wish I could

I said

We live

With what we’re given

He said.

Yes

Yes

Still

The thought

Appeals.

Accessible

I continue to rate restaurants on their accessibility.

The pizza joint

In Edinburgh

Was more accessible

Than any other restaurant

I’ve entered

Ever.

I gave tours

Of the restroom

See this

I said

See this

There is even

An emergency cord

To pull

Just in case

See this

See this.

I would gladly

Give tours

Eat pizza

Eat pizza

Give tours

To show what accessibility

Looks like.