Red Sky in Morning

They say

It is always darkest

Before the dawn 

 

They say

The sun always rises

 

They say 

Weeping may spend

The night

But joy

Is just around the corner

 

The sky dawned red

This morning

After 

A pitch black night

They say

Red sky in morning

Sailors

Take warning

Batten down the hatches

They say

To everything

There is a season

The Whole of It

While we remember

The possible lessons

From 2020

Let us remember 

The losses

The grief

Not cover it

All over with joy

Before we realize

Its entirety

Let us remember

The whole of it

 

We Celebrale Separately

We celebrate separately

This year 

It is quiet here

A gentle Christmas

Quiet

We have all

Grown up

But circumstances

Such as they are

Also bring

This different celebration

Separate

Quiet

Even the cat

Sleeps

Essential

Essential workers

Essential breathers 

 

Who is of the essence

In this time

Of the coming

Of Christ

 

What matters most now

In this time

When health

And food

And shelter

Cannot be taken

For granted

Each of us 

Is essential

For the very sake

Of the other

 

These Times Will Bring

These times will bring

So much more

The roots may find more nourishment

Than we might ask

Or imagine

As we sit in one place

Long enough

The roots may find nourishment

In the soil

Green shoots 

May find

New life

From the stump

Of Jesse

 

Make the Most

Make the most

Of these daylight hours

The night

Promises long

Make the most

The sun shines

Take that extra shot

Of Vitamin D

To carry you forward

To tomorrow

I Read Recipes

In this year

Of pandemic

I read recipes 

To consider new ways

To nourish my body

I read new poetry

To find those who seek

To name things

It never occurred to me

To name

I read novels

To discover 

Whole new worlds

I may inhabit

So I can bring them home

To roost 

And redecorate

The living room

Not the Mama

This is the season

Of the Mama

Swollen belly

Puffy ankles

Baby kicking

In her womb 

Everyone else

Joseph

Angel

Shepherd

Wise Person

Is

Not the Mama

 

 

 

Two Rejections

Two rejections

For the same position

I kill you once

I kill you twice

As if it is necessary

Really

Of course this time

I ask the person

Who rejected me twice

By email

Why

Was it necessary

To tell me twice

I got it

The first time

Seasoned

I want to surround myself

With seasoned people

And a few

With new eyes

A mix will do

After all

Not one

Or the other

Not either/or

But both/and

Wait for the Dawn

Wait for the dawn

It always comes

Lightens the edges

Of the sky

Wait for the dawn

It always

Always 

Comes

Lightens the edges

Of the sky

Of course

First we must

Open our eyes

This is the way

Of morning

Open our eyes

Wait for the dawn

It always comes

First ballot

The first ballot shows

Where the Spirit has flowed

Not

Where 

She may end up

Odyssey

Are we not all

On an odyssey

Of our own making

Or perhaps someone else

Rudders the boat

We do our best 

To steer between 

Scylla and Charybdis

Not to be led astray

By 

Siren song

Steer a straight path

Home

Hope we will find it

As we left it

Though we know

Just as we have changed

Home

Will never

Be the same

Nod to Tradition

This is the year

We had roast beef

For Thanksgiving

With two of us

A whole turkey

Made no sense

Our son made 

Cornish game hens

With cranberry reduction sauce

A nod

To tradition

Our daughter

Ran plates of food

Around her neighborhood

Also a nod

To tradition

Christmas

Will bring with it

Its own variety

Of ways

To celebrate

Angel Chimes

We divvied out

The family jewels

 Sat in a circle

 On the dining room floor

When it was my turn

I chose

The silver water pitcher

My sister sighed

She could have chosen it

On the last go-round

 

The brass angel chimes

The ones we polished

Every year

Were nowhere

To be found

 

I would have chosen them

Instead

When Moses Complained

When Moses complained

God heard

Responded

With water

With manna

With quail

When Moses' face shown

They knew 

It was not just

Thunder

On the mountain

Not insignificant water

Manna

Birds

Commandments

On stone tablets

When Moses complained

God took him

Seriously

Normal is Not

What's normal for me

May be normal

For you

Or not

I tend to think

Not

Normal is not

Scrambled eggs

Oatmeal

For breakfast 

Normal is not

Where we will return

Next year

Avocado on whole wheat toast

With a sprinkle

Of salt and pepper

And chia

Normal 

Will be different

No matter what

We expect

Hurricane Season?

Is this really the end

Of hurricane season

As the 10 PM news

Proclaims it

It may be so

This has been a year

Of

I'll believe it

When I see it

When no more islands

Are swept away

When days

Dawn brighter

For awhile

I am not too picky

Still

I will believe

No hurricanes

When I see

 No hurricanes