t-shirt weather splits
for a silent snowy stroll
peace in every flake
city surprises
around every cloudy turn
wild birds await
we had our date night
but these icy, fluffy steps
are what melt my heart
exercise
With These Words
a guilty headache
writing, yoga abandoned
for Spanish test prayers
four-forty a.m.:
swallow last night’s leftovers
extend my commute
four ibuprofens
dawn on a two-mile walk:
sunrise on my school
early arrival
i make lesson plans and grade
till they shuffle in
solid essay work
they have surprised me again
with how i love them
early return home
to intense yoga practice
this happy hour
headache free, i’ll sleep
ready for a new sunrise
guiltless with these words
Teacher Mother Prayer
headstand of success
to top a sunny work week
filled with teenage grins
plan for our future
money’s tight, love is tighter
let’s let loose the strings
all of my children
wrapped in a challenging pose
namaste, my soul
Climate Change
winter thaw takes us
on a short sleeved city walk
but God, save this earth
Climate Change
winter rollerblades
spray-bottle paths formed by girls
with no snow in sight
a sunny walk home
January thaws… nothing
worried hidden joy
oh but their smiles!
the earth is dying, but them?
they’re just having fun
i skate after them
till the sun escapes the day
tuck sorrow to bed
we all have our paths
formed by small hands and big hearts
climate changes us
Ski Time
wind and commitment
to ski, to time i don’t have
(nor money… either)
grumpy beginnings
end with every ten feet stops
and i want to quit
but then i’m alone
and make this my mountain home
if only a day
their end-of-day grins
make me rethink my lost time
lost heart, yes… now won
Burdened
other than starving
(because yoga doesn’t work)
my solutions fail
her comment stings
the tail of disappointment
snaps back at my truth
five pounds is that clear?
how hard i carry the weight
of words i can’t lose
Marade
small signs and short legs
blue sky memories of faith
some fear is slipping
but in children’s eyes:
perfect for play and joy
humanity’s rainbow
if we could all climb
to the top of the goal post
his dream would come true
not just a Marade
a gathering of lost souls
hoping for what’s right
with their eyes, see it:
the world he wanted. Here.
not a shot fired.
Write of Passage
our boots squeak with snow
light as sparkling feathers
quiet city streets
middle one agrees
to traipse in winter beauty
so much like her mom
this brings me to peace
from sleepless, sorrowful nights
my words lost, then found
like our snowy prints
only seen from right behind
otherwise ignored
my most precious gift
recorded for all my life
despised by loved ones
perhaps she will walk
behind my wordy footsteps
her write to escape
for now, quiet snow
i accept what i can’t change
and keep on writing
Rules of Childhood
challenging poses
stave off pre-holiday cold
virus can’t beat me
candy-scented home
bowls brimming with sugar dreams
homage to his mom
girls learn gift giving
how to think beyond themselves
wrapped in red ribbon
i’d wrap happiness
and place it under the tree
if it would save them
childhood rules us
far beyond its eighteen years
may theirs be happy
Step Write Up 