he’s no idea
what he’s got himself into
with these crazy girls
cookies are cookies.
we will cut, bake, decorate.
’cause it’s what we do.
arms, metal, ginger:
what is a holiday scent?
molasses. that’s it.
and soft-spun sugar
ready to perfect Christmas
with gingerbread sweets.
ice-cold Tuesday night
(ice skating on a weeknight?)
icing on the cake
we must stay outside
we must wear masks, be cautious
we must learn to live
all out of the house?
all the teens out together?
all the miracles
the boy taught himself
the boy had never skated
my boy taught himself
almost all love skis
and that’s enough for today
that, and fresh powder
some rough beginnings
can end in the perfect way
for a perfect day
Almost a year ago, we invited this boy home for Christmas because he was living in a youth shelter.
We brought him downtown to see this beautiful tree.
And what a year it has been. Challenging in more ways than we ever thought imaginable, and all of us adjusting to this new life of having a brother and a son in the midst of a pandemic.
Here we are, standing under these same lights. And aren’t they still beautiful?
my little artist
(not so little anymore)
always new designs
creating Christmas
from the tree to ornaments
all hand-made with love
dream school acceptance
in the midst of this nightmare
that’s 2020
what next, i wonder?
how will we survive all this
with all that we face?
the box comes early
before breath has settled us
into this next step
work interrupted
my man carving the turkey
so my boy stepped in
my girls made the pies
and set the grateful table
(we made this loss work)
just the six of us
celebrating our health
in a health-hell year
the day starts with tests
to secure her friends’ safety
in this COVID year
negative is good
whoever thought it’d be good
to be negative?
and so, she smiles
and we blow up the balloons
(losing one to wind)
and the four friends come
and she’s happy for just a day
of this lonely life
Vamos a ganar
with this American map
he knows nothing of
every moment counts
and he has read my soul here
with these three small words
Step Write Up 