No Blues Here

a triple lake hike
back in the Rockies with pup
and endless blue skies

Baby Is Seventeen

we created them
built on love; twenty-five years
and squeezing lemons

all three together 
rarer as our nest empties 
yet still so perfect

for my youngest? boots
shoes, too, she’s so practical 
and so beautiful

there will be no desk 
only the kitten’s kingdom 
over all that’s ours

sometimes life is just
this damn broken lawnmower 
instead of camping

i couldn’t fix this
this eternal money pit
this hellhole of weeds

to them, it’s nothing 
just another Saturday 
painting overalls

the cat is so cute
stretching herself on futon
in new spare bedroom

tries to fill heartache 
for our four-bedroom dream house
emptying our nest

a calming cycle
on a rails-to-trails flat path:
way to start the day

more history learned 
at a medieval castle 
built, burned, lost, rebuilt

my man boating us
back down the river, towards home
our heritage left

riding up river
in a boat we drive ourselves 
weathering windstorms

the river’s flooded
even for Irish standards
yet we navigate

monastery stop
seventh century ruins
Irish faith runs deep

a long drive’s reward:
stellar food, oldest pub
and Guinness to drink

sleeping on a boat
knowing Athlone’s lights alight 
can be quite calming

a castle day trip
cycling on sketchy roads
yet worth the visit

hidden Irish gems:
four hundred years of earls
residing in stone

science surprises:
this telescope discovered 
distant galaxies

and Bruce got to stand
in the largest redwood grove
outside the U.S.

night ends with laughter
in a 1500s pub
kindness in their blood

a rough travel day
and some rough river waters
aren’t too rough for us

the sunset calms us
the river settles for bed
and we can rest now