birthdays as i age
are all about the blossoms
(petal by petal)




even candy blooms
from a fasting student’s heart
here, home, on my desk

birthdays as i age
are all about the blossoms
(petal by petal)
even candy blooms
from a fasting student’s heart
here, home, on my desk
I just want you to know that I tried my best. I loved you the best way I know how. I tried to show you the world–Glacier National Park, the Grand Canyon, Kentucky… Skiing in beautiful places. Camping under the stars.
I tried to make you a part of my family.
I tried to show you that structure and discipline are the way to a successful life.
I tried to save your money so you could have a future. You would have had $13,000 to start your life. Out of the $9000 I gave you, I likely spent $5000 trying to include you. To show you these beautiful things, places, and experiences. To send money, thousands of dollars, home to your family in Honduras. To love you. To offer you a safe home and stability.
I barely knew you, and I took you into my home.
And you lit a match and burned it all.
I hope to God you learn from this and treat the people in your future better.
I hope to God the next time someone changes their entire life to accommodate you, you show more respect. You WORK YOUR ASS OFF to use your intelligence for your future. You shut down your stubborn ass, ask for help, and apply yourself one hundred percent to work, education, and discretion.
I hope that one day, if you ever go back, you look at the Grand Canyon and say, in utter amazement and gratitude, “Thank you for taking me to this ever-stretching, carved-over-thousands-of-years glory, and sharing its beauty with me.”
I hope you learn from your mistakes and make something out of your life.
Nothing and no one is stopping you.
It’s all on you.
And don’t burn your bridges next time.
a "staff shortage" day
everything canceled with tracks
(hope thinner than ice)
finally, some snow
pretty enough for a pic
to wipe hopelessness
what if sunset geese
were the best part of their day,
of their lives thus far?
a museum trip
to learn English with a twist
and these masked smiles
i drive buses now
because taking them places
is what matters most
the joy in their eyes
as they immerse themselves
is universal
so many words lost
(Saturday night bed making)
scenes from a marriage
my Homecoming queens
who will never win titles
will still win with me
and what have they learned?
just how to love everyone
from all walks of life
spirit week beckons
dynamic duos, western.
even better: grins.
even behind masks
you can see my girls’ smiles
(it’s hope. returning.)
and the Finger Lakes
connecting the three of us
in this Denver school
let’s not forget hats
of the Colorado kind
western girls, my girls
syllables can’t sew
or piece together quilt art
but her grandma can
haikus can’t capture
the hours of work, the cloth
from her grandma’s trunk
yes. a thousand words.
a thousand hours of love
for her granddaughter