Hearts

no matter that she is 32, a mother, a professor,

a wife, a friend to others, she will always

be my baby girl, Karen Aline.

A Christmas gift of cotton jammies in hearts

for all of us, for Mira, Karen and me.

I wait with impatience for our trip when all

three of us will be garbed in hearts, 

sleepily drinking coffee or tea,

on the carpet playing, all in hearts

Playing harmonica with Mira

 

The position was not quite right, 

but as she exhaled and inhaled,

the soft, sweet sound of 

the harmonica reached my ear.

she may have been as surprised as me

and we stared at each other, I laughed 

out loud, her expression unchanged.

this is my little girl, the serious one

who, I know, will surprise us in 

so many ways.

three minutes - Lady GaGa

I had heard of her

but never seen her, or heard her

sing, but on this day, on this wonderful

day, ending the most horrible four years, 

i was glad to see her in her beautiful blonde hair

and extravant dress, knowing that I would probably

never see her again, nor hear her voice

Chickpea mania

sold out.

the pandemic drug 

for all those who rediscover

cooking, out of boredom

to escape the drone of the

repetition

repetition

repitition 

of their spouse

heads phones secured over their heads

extra insurance, the puffing

of the pressure cooker

it's a drug

to keep us all sane

Useful phrases in Wolof

one never know when it might be useful.

perhaps before asking for mosquito netting in 

a small hotel in Casamance,

the one I stayed at last time

where the owner was Italian

I think his name was Mario

and I didn't agree with the rave

reviews of his pizza either.

I never did have problems with mosquitos

there even though I dutifully took my

malaria pills

it's here that I get mosquito bites but 

no one would understand me if I said

yoo yi, nu ngi may matt.  

Someone is reading this

Someone told me that he is reading
this - and he knows about my life that 
I thought was somehow secret
Silly of me - my life is here
in black New Roman font
my favorite.
So, my friend, know that I'm 
touched that you read this, that you know
about Mira, her chubby legs, that we
spend so much time together
playing harmonica and passing my 
Senegalese bracelet back and forth,

a smile with each exchange.
Friend, I am glad we are friends through
all these years, one day when I
travel across the sea, 

I will see you and

you will see me!

Chubby legs

Fat folds in her thighs

and her arms, her wrists,
a double chin and vast jowls
this child is not going hungry
still nursing, as well as breakfast,

lunch, dinner, snack. 

we are always at the table it seems

now she's crawling, shall we call it that

and she'll slim down

in the meantime I laugh

at all the rolls of fat

babyhood

The Biden-Kamala presidency - Hope rises up

I was happy.

Tears welled up watching Kamala

take the oath, pride that our new

leaders spoke of unity and peace,

regardless of those who believe otherwise.

Laws will be passed, systems will be dismantled,

Animals will roam free in the Alaska Wildlife Refuge

and filthy oil will not flow from Canada.

The building of one border wall will pause,

Another border will open, to Muslims once banned.

Let those who stoke hate find that the law

will be enforced, but they also can benefit

from a government that cares.

I hope for peace, for decency,

Finally.  

The generosity of friends

 

one day there will be young women like this
smiling, in chef's hats and coats, under his tutelage
ready to go out into the world and earn their place in the world
I want to be there to see it, see them strolling out into the street
past wide-eyed men, heads up, no time to waste, clutching their
new handbag, stylish but practical shoes.
I'll work for that and ask my friends
they help, too.

Thiébu jèn

Thiébu jèn for my birthday dinner
put away the roast chicken, dear husband!  
I can close my eyes and feel the sun on my face
hear the sound of the sea, young men kicking
a soccer ball, my friends all around me
Dakar, I miss you, namm na laa.
deuge la, bi lay.  

We walked in the woods

we walked through the woods

the spikes on our shoes piercing ice

seemingly more dogs than people up here

once we left the maddening crowds

in the parking lot

fantastic walls of rock rise above us

peering down over the centuries onto 

the single species that destroys its own

world, methodically

the walls wonder at our ways

as we wonder at their beauty

the ice gives way under the spikes

on our shoes

the clicking of crushing ice

Calories

a sweaty Seven Minute Workout = 1 tsp of peanut butter

that's what he told me

right after he bragged about losing 6 pounds

6 pounds of the 30 he needs to lose

I'm just fine, my jelly belly wiggles with 

each jumping jack

well earned, two babies 

a fine reward.

A mother with her child at the market

her favorite book

she'll scoot across the floor for it

commando style.

her small white hands trace the

outlines of the beautiful mother with her 

child, their beautiful skin, her

beautiful scarf,

their smiles and joy in the market

one day Mira will go with me

to see mothers with their children 

in the market.

this is my hope. 

Favorite Mira toys

forget the plastic, the Fischer-Price

the educational, baby-tested and certified. 

A shiny bronze bracelet still reflecting the 

sun from  the beach in Dakar

I still laugh at the heated bargaining

and when I first put it onto my wrist.

a handmade drum from the same place,

a different seller, a Guinean, a painted lion

on the back, nails hammered flat for plucking

and the insulated mug from Meredith

the one that Karen wanted to have received

even though she didn't want it.

Mira, you will look at the pictures one day and recognize

yourself,

Monday morning break-up

 

Doesn't everyone want to break up 

with their job on dark, cold Monday mornings?

a fumble, a smack on a hard kitchen floor 

Ball and I have broken in two this morning.

thank goodness no coffee was spilled.

even when I leave you, Ball, your stamp will

still be upon me after these 17 years

together, you'll still have a small spot

in my heart.

It's hard to make a habit

It's hard to make a habit

at the end of the day, when 

a warm bed calls and so does

the husband, in the bed, waiting 

for me, to sleep

one cannot sleep without the other

me, I make habits and commit to them

even if they are of the 5 minute sort,

or even the 3 minutes that it takes

to heat up my corn bag

to stay warm tonight.

Joy....followed by the horror of mob rioting at the Capitol by Trump supporters

 

So soon after joy

disbelief, shock,  rage, horror

seeing our flag, my flag, used by 

a mob of Trump supporters to storm

the Capitol.

They can never take my country

Our country

Peace will win

even Pence could squeeze the 

words out of his treasonous 

mouth.

A Joyous Day

 

 a black minister

who believes in peace and justice

elected in Georgia,

of all places.

joy, oh, joy.

Mira on the Move

Mira on the move, 

swimming on land, crabbing

she moves rapidly, like a commando,

towards Bella, yet unsuspecting of the upcoming

ambush, but ever cautious, alert eyes and ears

who is this newcomer who forces her onto the 

couch, who steals the attentions of her parents.

Mira on the move

if there was any doubt about who would be 

running this house

it's gone now.

Chasing slippers

They slide across the floor, rising up suddenly

below the horizon, then soaring above

those fuzzy slippers, seeming to move in some 

sort of mysterious dance that her mind cannot 

comprehend, her eyes can barely follow

a legs length away, I watch her watching

and following my feet, her puzzlement at 

where they have gone and why they have reappeared.

we wonder at these sorts of things as each moment

appears, only to disappear in front of our eyes.

Baby-proofing the house

How wonderful to be a Queen, 

sitting on Opa's lap as his back creaks

watching over the workers applying foam padding

over any sharp edge where Her Highness might bonk her head

one day, covering warm radiator pipes where Miss Fuss Face

might put her precious hand.

We do it happily, as she gurgles and cries out,

at times waving to us with a curled fist

urging us on

as tomorrow is the start of the week

and we will all be under her command, one at a

time, eagerly awaiting her next instruction. 

tag. Mira

Day 2 - can’t fail yet

In bed

I remember my resolution 

To write every day, not well

But good enough to capture a 

Moment

Bean puttanesca and roast chicken

My daughter sitting across from me

Echoes of so many years gone by

Years to come when another 

Little girl will sit across from me

I know she will

No longer Miss Fuss Face

Someone remarkable

I know.

--

Jenny's Daily Poetry fix

https://le-poeme.blogspot.com/

 

 

Happy New Year, Miss Grumpy Face

 

you are so serious

while I rejoice in holding you in my arms,

Miss Grumpy Face

Happy New Year, Little One

dressed up for the New Year, ready to step out

without knowing it, looking forward to 

play dates with other babies, seeing how they manage to crawl and walk,

conversing in languages only babies understand, 

resting in the arms of both sets of grandparents,  

sunny days in the park with mom and dad's friends

sitting in a cafe watching the people go by

hearing voice and laughter of strangers

in strange and wonderful languages.

We will do so many fun things in 2021,

my Little One,

my Miss Grumpy Face,

I love you

no matter what.

tag: Mira