play off

so many months of work

so many moments of frustration

with the computer

with finding feedback

with my ability as a playwright

until this morning

i gleefully

hopefully

relievedly

e-mailed ‘Freddy’s Wake’

to compete in the world

aaaaahh

that tomorrow i will consider

how it should have been done

i will leave for tomorrow to face

remember to respect

my eyes are tired as i work hours

at a setting on my play

while the summer heat

builds the allergy count

just outside my window

but i am not wielding a pickax

or tarring a road under the hot sun

so, i have little to complain of

when so many as worthy as i

are working in greater pain

dawn present

haiku

mountain silhouettes

backlighted by sunrise gold

glorious God gift

alas, a lack

poor Bluffo, despised

by brother humans for greed

lacking empathy

flower-whispered

haiku

flower-whispered love

colors nurture our courage

bid us pray to God

in a jiffy

oil change was interesting

as i sat in my car watching

a half dozen black-uniformed men

check and measure, open, fill and close

haul out air filters clogged with

dirt and debris needing to be changed

efficient, thorough and courteous

so good to be serviced by people

who know what they are doing

weather prediction

orange color in the sunrise

promise of heat early in the day

enticement to stay home and work

on projects of welcoming neatness

(but i’d rather be on the go)

geezer humor

haiku

bad, wonderful jokes

lifeblood of laughter sustain

geezers in decline

reacting to my phone’s ring

how long the telephone has haunted me

not for itself, or even for the sales

calls that take my time and energy

but (as i finally realized only recently)

because for years patients and friends

would call my public home number

by-passing the on-call system

of our physicians’ group

each time it rang in the evening

i cringed, hoping it was not a plea

for special attention i was too tired

to give graciously when i wanted

time with my family

these years of retirement are only now easing

what had always seemed

my strange reaction to my phone’s ring

book launch

re: Suns and Moons to Come, by Anne Stackpole-Cuellar

book launch

another writing friend has created

a warm, thoughtful book

this time, her third

a collection of her earth-

and freedom-defending poetry

just announced its publication

i cannot wait to learn

from its pages

Harold

warm gratitude for the quirks of life

and a gentle humor that manifested

as chuckles of irrepressible joy

we will miss this life-affirming gentleman

who would have guessed

joy of caring for an animal pet

i would not have thought

could transfer to tending to plants

but i love needing to give the deck

flowers every morning enough water

to survive and thrive through our

ninety-degree days

nope, Elon

despite Elon Musk’s assertion,

empathy is not a disease

that is debilitating our nation

caring for one another is essential

to life unless one is arrogant enough

to believe anyone is greater

than lightning, flood, earthquake,

fire, virus, stroke, myocardial infarction

and working for each other’s wellbeing

merits satisfaction that amassing

any amount of goods does not comprehend

joy of the evening

 gifts and laughter with loved daughters

over scrumptious supper of crab louis

testing out a grabber with magnetic

properties and using its bite-and-open

feature to simulate applause

to greater laughter as we work

a crossword puzzle together

in bonded caring and mutual support

i am the luckiest person

i’ve ever known

gotcha

migraines sneak in with only a hint

of prodrome so when i finally realize

the kind of headache that is taking hold

i am already deep in its throes

whether or not i still have miles

to drive to make it home

lesson from afar

refreshing early morning air

with enough chill to belie

the sun’s intention to teach

us, plant and animal, to acknowledge

nuclear reaction as power

even from a distance

near chill, but not for long

still early enough

to have blessed chill

in the air but already

the imperious sun

demands its due attention

quiet confidence

a quietness steals over me

of confidence now that i am upright

my feet and knees stay under me

carrying me where i wish to go

but this past year has not always

been so

i’ve fallen without warning

been carried on a stretcher

to an ambulance more times

than i’ve ridden in one as caregiver

so, now when my head seems

to want to twirl or aching hurt

gathers between my eyes,

i am concerned another fall

could take me and i will once again

be unsure of me

warmth

warm sunlit morning

laughter with my kids by phone

already a beautiful day

watercolorist’s challenge clouds

 in watercolors, gray comes to life

by combining opposites

on the color wheel, such as,

green with red

orange with blue

purple with yellow

so all of the color wheel is in each gray

but the various proportions yield

varied moods and emotional responses

this morning’s tumbled layers of clouds

needed all three combinations

to reveal the temper

of each watery atmosphere