my oldest asks for advice:
What should I text the boy
whose number my friend got for me?
(just a pinch of middle school, relived)
Ask him about his weekend,
tell him you went skiing,
ask what his favorite foods are…
In a huff, she stomps out of the kitchen,
her adolescent heels too stubborn for her old mum.
That is terrible advice!
I won’t say any of those things!
How many successful relationships have you had?
(my attempt at middle school banter)
To which the youngest,
just ten and always listening,
banters back,
Technically, Mama, you’ve only had one–your marriage. All the rest were epic fails.
Touché, my smart-alec girls,
for always knowing the brutal truth
poetry
Change of Season
goodbye to winter,
to snow that blew away spring
(if only today)
The Sun Will Still Rise…
pink sky gives warning
(so pretty, tucked behind clouds)
of impending war
Bilingual Rainbow
that moment at school
when a domestic violence reference
does not register
as a violation of human rights.
that.
that is a teachable moment.
let them write their stories,
their poems,
their lives poured out on paper
in a language that sifts through their minds
like Lucky Charms marshmallows,
where finding the right words to describe the trees native to their homelands,
the pain of fleeing war,
the parents who missed even grade school,
is like finding that rainbow marshmallow,
the brightest and sweetest:
the words,
the art,
that will save them.
for today, at least.
Fate
kids writing all day
where they’re from, where life takes us
truth is: no one knows
Check the Box
testing month begins:
aka, hell season of
PowerPoint trainings
Misunderstanding
why the rain, Mama?
we were ready to frolic
in forever sun
Winter’s Remorse
solitary slope
freshly groomed, chickadees’ tweets,
a good way to end
but ice plagued the runs
with snow that just wouldn’t fall
no matter how cold
With Wings We Fly
cold mountainside gusts
in divine aspen grove trails
sweep snow under skis.
later, only sun
and a waterfall vista
to mark spring’s return.
a cloudy sunset
reminds me of emptiness
that lies here. and there.
Be a Bird
if you want to fly
leave your poles at the bottom
and lift up your wings
Step Write Up 