For 19 years, I have been lucky enough to be this child’s mother.

This child who knew that when she graduated from high school, she wasn’t ready to go to college.

This child who moved out to the house that needs so much work. This child who found a good-paying job with great benefits within six months of graduation. This child who is more of an adult than most of the adults I know.

This child who votes, and paints, and brings light to my life.

Happy birthday, Mythili. Thank you for teaching me another way of looking at the world.

just give me a coat

and i will walk through winter

with my grin bearing

the mulch is spread out
yet the moldy dust persists 
in every choked breath

this dry spell persists
through the blue-sky heat of fall
and I can’t let go 

it could be sunrise 
bright as fire, so hopeful:
giving us new light

it could be blue sky
perfectly reflective blue
blue as blue as blue

but it isn’t blue
it’s a pile of wood chips 
darker than the sun

the golden tree top
falling for a new season 
even if we can’t 

too cool for this school 
she’s never too embarrassed 
by her crazy mom