Home-made cough drops

lemon, blueberries, honey

love

heals all

a journey of 4000 weeks

a moment in these 4000 weeks,

a life, my life, next to her life,

just started, so fresh and full of questions

What is that, Opa?  What are those white things up there?

What is in your backpack, Mimi?  How do I peel these eggs?

and such clear direction, I want to go the beach. No, I don't want

to eat lunch now.  Let's go to the waterfall. Carry me.  

each moment for her is unsullied by the past and the future,

a moment in time, valuable and immediately now,

I learn from her, so much further along in my 4000 weeks,

we must learn from the young.

Learning to Swing

When I taught her to swing,

she could not reach the ground, with feet or hands,

suspended in space, I pushed her gently,

ready to cushion any fall.

She says, "Mimi, swing!"

I gingerly place my stomach across the plastic seat,

we push our hands and feet against the soft

playground surface, swinging, swinging.

swinging.

En route

We only have this life, the one on the road

To somewhere, we picked this one,

Although there were many, some as tempting, 

Some only a passing fancy that did not last,

This one was the one I chose, we chose, 

Driving three days past the  XYXZ exit

(Where last time it was 120 F, and now we

Have passed sand and stone hills dusted in snow.

We only have this life and I chose this moment

To write his poem, bypassing a few more paragraphs 

In my book, leaving Opa to watch the washing 

Machine turn with Mira.

This is what I chose, right now.

Dress up for Christmas

it's not really Christmas, but a good day to dress up

and celebrate all that we have, including a black dog named

Bella.

Let's rejoice that a new baby is coming,

that there is food and a warm house

two open books on the table 

 a hike this afternoon with my son and his dog.

it's always a good idea to dress up and be thankful

yet we always forget.