This morning I ironed
Set up the old ironing board
Metal and sturdy
Hardly worse for wear
Dependable companion
Since I was a bride
Those days behind me
Now white-haired, bent with aging
I appear different
Shape of old woman
Listener, story teller
Beloved grandmother
Yet deep within me
Abides all I ever was
Gifted at my birth
Living in the now
Time of mind and memory
Not how clock tells time
Moment sweet to breathe
Feel the heartbeat of the earth
Sense deep wells within
This is nature’s gift
Peace, tranquility abide
Feathered hope also.
My AC is broken, not cycling cool air
On this monstrously hot day
Sweat doesn’t cool but reminds me
I’ve a talent to reclaim
Long hot southern summers
With no air conditioning.
A back yard with pecan trees
Taught me how to catch breezes.
I sat by a window not moving a muscle
Getting lost in book-reading
Words were my magic carpet
Fanning air as it flew.
Today by my window
Oak tree leaves transport me
A slight wind brings coolness
Settling round my feet.
Warm sun-dappled leaves
Wind-rippled set to dancing
Pale lazy blue sky
Seasonal setting
Telling tale going nowhere
I long to be young
Memory is an inexplicable thing
Grandson’s high school graduation the scene
Present tense gave way when the music began
Magnet of past time
Drew me back through the years
Feelings surged from an abyss
Formerly unknown.
In grade school I was taught
The Pledge of Allegiance and Star Spangled Banner
Instilling within me love of my country
Now bursting like stars while we sang
And we pledged hand over heart
At the high school graduation
A deep sadness welled up.
Once taken for granted
Could we possibly lose
Old glories, good virtues
Respect and forbearance
Kindness, equality, justice and love?
I pray for a future beyond present tense
Safe for all the world’s children.
Two flats abandoned
In the patio garden
Sad and neglected
Then one bright morning
Garden peppered with red blooms
Flats nowhere in sight
Plant fairy at work
All is ready for summer
With wave of trowel.
Time to celebrate
Earmarks of accomplishment
Footsteps on your path
The neighborhood pets
Your special menagerie
You fed and you walked
Learning a new skill
You looked after the swimmers
A stalwart lifeguard
Veterinarian’s
Assistant you tackled next
Skillful shot-giving
You were on a roll
Becoming camp counselor
And learning to drive
All the while at school
Mostly sailing through classes
Sometimes you floundered
Previous learning
Folds now into Commencement
You begin again
College in Autumn
Time of leaves turning and change
You are on your way
Dear grandson Bobby
March to your chosen drumbeat
You’ve got what it takes
Dedicated to my grandson Bobby upon his graduation from high school June 2, 2017
Mother’s Day dinner
Grandma’s plate took a tumble
Inelegant scene
Whistled to clean up
Max licked up crumbs with gusto
Trusty pre-tech tool
