Lapses

she meant well, to write
everyday, irrespective of circumstance:
travel, how many margaritas she drank, whether
she had to stay up late to bake bread,
wait for the dogs to finish looking for
raccoons in the backyard, or finish
washing the dishes.
meaning to do well does not equate
with doing well: the dogs want to
go to sleep, she drank too much to write
well, the bread is burning or the
microwave has finished heating up
the bedwarmers and sleep calls,
so the writing waits another day,
the counter does not increment to
610, and they are no longer
sequential by day, like soldiers lined
up by a little boy, their shadows
lengthening with every passing hour.

photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/rensproperty/1401827326/