January thaw
before the snowstorm sets in
brings preteen joy back
she rides her scooter,
climbs a few trees, swings youth back
(perfect afternoon)
poetry
Staircase
it started with drinks
that i no longer long for
now dairy’s gone too
and i’ve bought a scale
and let Jillian train me
with killer crunches
i have clear goals now
(as i squeeze into old pants)
with clearly laid steps
’cause downward spirals
end in winter sunrises
(my new happy hour)
Freeze Talk
i want this captured
to remember this evening
(dark, icy outside)
not the budget talk,
the back talk, the endless talk
sucking life from days
this. this song, this spin,
this moment of childhood.
ice the sweet playground
no darkness. no cold.
warmth found in sisters’ giggles
that silence all talk.
Sweet Haiku Dreams
i need a haiku break
but all i do is count syllables
to make up a life
for so long now i’ve trapped myself in 5-7-5
that i can’t write a poem
without holding up my fingers
ready to count
but what’s life without
a simple, perfect haiku
to go to bed with?
January Flurries
scheduling request
based on lawsuits they have lost
adds work to my plate
there’s no equity
for teachers, kids, or parents
trying to get by
so i’ll wake early
make gradebooks for fake classes
and do twice the work
i just want to know:
who has time to litigate
with kids in their life?
questions unanswered
to close a winter Monday
just sprinkled with sun
ReCycle
back in the saddle
tight muscles better than view
that i’ll bring to bed
Stolen
thievery on kids
with granted Christmas wishes:
a new kind of low
scooter happiness
snatched from public library
while books stole our hearts
between this and puke
and sis stuck in Kentucky
(in snow of all things)
this week weighs heavy
for this mom, sister, teacher
(no end to winter)
but the sun was high
and we’re rich with two jobs now
(solved our scooter blues)
and we have love here
stolen from youth to old age
given to these girls
She Comes… I Stay
burst from these dark days
of post-holiday winter
news to change a life
(or ten thousand lives)
cause that’s how many she’ll touch
in her tenure here
this comes full circle
(the young-mother sacrifice,
the risky Spain year)
to work with passion
to be led with compassion
to love, love my school
it’s all i’ve wanted
thirteen years waiting for strength
to be my leader
Flu Blues
illness strikes again
rearing its ugly puke head
on my “free” Thursday
Extraction
i’d like to break free
like our DNA pea lab
(alcohol release)
they questioned this choice
(this isn’t science class, Miss!) yet their eyes were bright
bright eyes keep me sane
when dark thoughts hover so close
to this extraction
they see where love is
hidden in cells’ nuclei
ready to break free
