#Inktober2019: Misfit

Take Care Who You Label

Who wears the mantle

of misfit, perhaps the one

who is unlike you

                             

#Inktober 2019: Ornament

Pearls and Diamonds

My aunt amassed boxes

of costume jewelry to

create her own style 

#Inktober2019: Wild

              Wild About

I am wild about white chocolate scones

or cupcakes holding up mounds of frosting

I am wild about paninis stacked with turkey,

thin cheese slices and all manner of accouterments 

Raspberry chocolate- chip yogurt ice cream

in a cup with an inverted sugar cone placed

at a jaunty angle makes any afternoon celebratory

I am wild about cracking unsalted pistachios 

while working on a Times crossword puzzle

If I am  saying ,”this is the last time” I’m

probably opening up a package of chips

I am wild about chocolate covered apricots,

blueberries and slivers of ginger

I am wild about free food samples and thumb size

samples of white wine at a tasting

And I am in love with brunch buffets and potluck dinners

I am wild about dishes prepared by someone else

#Inktober2019: Legend

Close to Her Heart

My grandmother held
her old stories from Poland
beneath her corset

                                 

#Inktober2019: Overgrown

Recipe for Lovers

Tend to those you love

If left alone nettles will

choke out the blossoms 

                                         

#Inktober2019: Ash

Redirect

Ash,  fueled by hate  left

after someone is viewed as less than,

a person who is declared not worthy

Ashes— left after hate has its say, or

rears up —festers, smolders, and fueled

to rise up again under incendiary words and actions

If we say nothing, not wanting to squander

words on those who hate —we share blame.

We need to smoother those ashes,

stomp down on any embers 

and walk a different path. Our fire

must burn with love.

#Inktober2019: Dragon

 The Art of Memory     

             

             Some day you will

             be old enough to start reading

             fairy tales again.

                —C.S.Lewis

To indulge in fantasy remains a delight

for both borders of age.

The young imagine themselves 

as Superheroes—creating scenarios 

to save their world from beasts 

who show up in dreams.

The young give voice to stuffed animals

who listen and offer love.

The old make an art of remembering.

Drawing on memory to find words

to explore neighborhoods, to recall

with hazy accuracy years before

double digits and years after.

Some recall a book, a song, 

the words of an adult. Looking ahead

the time shortens, but standing still

and looking backward the vista is broad.

#Inktober2019: Snow

The Meteorologist as Seer

Get your  milk and bread
 Twenty-five inches of deep snow
 are coming today  

                  

#Inktober2019: Pattern

Our Paradigm

Life, a symphony

of subtle notes and flashy

interludes through our decades

#Inktober2019: Swing

On My Side of the City

How high did you swing?

Did you ever touch a cloud

or leave the neighborhood

or fly beyond concrete sidewalks

and apartment buildings tight

against one another?

Did you ever swing on a rope

hanging on a tree branch

and let go over moving water

to respond to a dare? 

If not we never met.

#inktober2019:Frail

   Fragile & Frail ,Don’t Drop

My mother’s teacup

placed on top of my bookcase 
still holds a fragrance

#Inktober2019: Enchanted

An Enchanted Place

Before the steep ascent up

Old Rag Mountain we walked

amid oak, maple and hickory trees

Then climbed past fields of wild flowers—

columbine, milkweed, nodding onion,

white bloodroot, and those whose 

names I never knew

We scrambled over ragged rocks 

on the Ridge trail— collected

shards of granite, zigzagged

on switchbacks until we arrived

at the  top where boulders smoothed

by time and water basked in the sun

I read some psalms— 

Words of praise 

reverberated in the crisp air, syllables

dispersed over granite formations 

and echoed across the mountains

Holy, Holy, Holy

#Inktober2019:Husky

A Quick Recovery 

    On the High School Debating Team

His voice grew husky—

His argument lost its fire—

He altered his path

#Inktober2019:Build

To Build Again

                            It is not incumbent on us to
                            finish the task, but neither are
                            we free to refrain from
                            beginning it.
                                       Pirkei Avot. 2:16

When a disconnect happens

that appears to be too deep,

hidden beneath layers—

the  past is gone, but

forgiveness remains

You need to approach the abyss

with care—bottom waters 

drag, but forgiveness exists

If the other refuses to hear,

to listen—try again

We build on small steps—

balancing forgiveness and love

with both hands

#Inktober2019:Freeze

Cold Weather Freeze

Winter slips under
The door—around my shoulder
and leaves a cold veil