Heavenly

on your first Mother’s Day,
you will sit under the sun.
rain clouds won’t creep in
to cover the sky with gray.

puffy white balls of cotton
will sprinkle the blue
with heavenly sparkles tinged
with the gold from your heart.

on your first Mother’s Day,
you will hold your womb close
and your memories closer
(let them fly, those clouds)

you will drink iced tea
on a deck that shines
like a knight in armor,
ready to face the fight.

on your first Mother’s Day,
you will tip your glass
to all that could have been
and all that will be… soon

you will face the heavenly blue,
your eyes clear with sun
dipped in heavenly gold.
you will remember… and forgive

on your first Mother’s Day,
you will have the hope that holds,
the heavenly hope that makes us see
how blue-sky-sunny our dreams can be.

April Showers

her news rains on me
 slicker than wet spring sidewalks
 so slippery, life
 
 

Gladiolas

yet. the pink flowers
 beautiful bargain for me
 for the love he shares
 
 

Silver Streaks of Rain

with my old playlist
i fight an uphill battle
pedal into wind

your words lost on me
abandonment tastes bitter
as you once told me

silver streaks of rain
cross winds with old memories
i. never. give. up.

ten minutes to spare,
i make my destination.
(you are nowhere near)

my life without you:
la lengua extranjera
que no puedes ver

Storytime

storytime request
 pippi longstocking brings us
 back to younger years
 
 i’ve blinked and they’ve grown
 can read their own stories now
 though they still listen
 
 it won’t be long now
 i’ll blink again, they’ll be gone
 pippi lost to truth
 
 
 

Parental Confession

how much easier
 life would be without children
 yet how meaningless
 
 

Suddenly Sixteen

so long since i heard
 the song that stole youth from me
 suddenly sixteen
 
 (how i wanted love
 searched in all the wrong places
 but looking, lost it
 
 love is not in arms
 whose words depend on lyrics
 that he didn’t write)
 
 yet, the song melts me
 cooking dinner in the kitchen
 i can’t even stir
 
 face flustered, hot
 not from the steaming pot
 but steamy sixteen
 
 the righteous brothers
 know the right way to make me
 suddenly sixteen
 
 
 

La Escuela de Verano

finally, a chance
 spring breaks through with summer hope
 work for road trip dream
 
 
 

Sunday Summary

blueberry waffles
begin a windy spring day
end of sleepovers

playground half empty
we watch cormorants build nests
wait for timeliness

it comes with patience
for people nothing like us
who make Rio grin

oldest gets her wish
while younger two learn to sew
with grandma’s guidance

kids’ clothes for one buck
the gift Goodwill offers me
shorts for all summer

medium rare steak
(vegetarian’s nightmare)
my chef-made dream meal

so ends my Sunday
sister talk moves toward kindness
summer dreams await

Cycling through the City

teary-eyed ending
 to fifteen-mile bike ride
 oh, but donut grin
 
 we stopped at projects
 perfect playground, tire swings
 Africans playing
 
 (my dream neighborhood:
 kids play outside, not with screens
 poverty beats us???)
 
 my middle child
 pedaling through our city
 here: my home, my heart