Paint By Heart

only my youngest 
would agree to overalls 
shared with her Mama

our shared high school life
is about to come to terms
with empty nest blues

First Day of Year Twenty-one

with my one freshman 
on the freshman-only day
Pashto English mix

a triple lake hike
back in the Rockies with pup
and endless blue skies

we created them
built on love; twenty-five years
and squeezing lemons

all three together 
rarer as our nest empties 
yet still so perfect

for my youngest? boots
shoes, too, she’s so practical 
and so beautiful

there will be no desk 
only the kitten’s kingdom 
over all that’s ours

sometimes life is just
this damn broken lawnmower 
instead of camping

i couldn’t fix this
this eternal money pit
this hellhole of weeds

to them, it’s nothing 
just another Saturday 
painting overalls

the cat is so cute
stretching herself on futon
in new spare bedroom

tries to fill heartache 
for our four-bedroom dream house
emptying our nest

a calming cycle
on a rails-to-trails flat path:
way to start the day

more history learned 
at a medieval castle 
built, burned, lost, rebuilt

my man boating us
back down the river, towards home
our heritage left

riding up river
in a boat we drive ourselves 
weathering windstorms

the river’s flooded
even for Irish standards
yet we navigate

monastery stop
seventh century ruins
Irish faith runs deep

a long drive’s reward:
stellar food, oldest pub
and Guinness to drink

sleeping on a boat
knowing Athlone’s lights alight 
can be quite calming