Hot Toddies

Cinnamon, honey and whiskey.
that's all.
really?
must be alot of whiskey to fill up a large mug,
or alot of honey
a cinnamon stick sits forlornly at the bottom
of the empty cup.
I'm happy.
the dishes are done
flute is practiced and put away
a poem slips through my fingers
I'm tired.
having skied this morning
and power napped,
how exhausting so warm in my bed
alone upstairs cocooned in
my covers.
what a wonderful luxurious day
I am so lucky
I never forget it

let's eat lasagna instead

let's eat lasagna instead
of walking downtown, heads down,
the bitter wind cutting through our jackets,
risking our lives at each street crossing.
let's eat warm lasagna and drink lots of red wine
while watching The Crown, immersing ourselves
in the drama of Queen Elizabeth II,
let's finish with tiramisu
and leave the dishes for tomorrow.
yes, let's do that,
let's eat lasagna instead.

in preparation

in preparation for January 21

I will stand out in the cold with the others

pink pussy hat on my head

knitted by another Resistance fighter.

there will be many of us

women, men and children

marching in solidarity against the 

destruction of our environment, 

the pork barrels,

the corruption,

the nepotism,

the gutting of civil discourse

and compassion for those who

need our help,

the helpless,

the poor,

the children,

all of us

actually.

A cat on my corner mailbox

I found a cat in my corner mailbox

so put her outside and painted a blue sky

around her.

To keep her warm, I wrapped her in

her own tail

To keep her alert, I made sure her

ears stuck straight up and her eyes

stare steadily ahead.

She gazes steadfastly at passersby,

most of whom will never notice her.

I wonder how long she was there 

before I did.

Loading the Dishwasher

In principle,

it makes him happy

when I load the spoons in 

the rear basket, instead of the front.

I wanted to make him happy today,

after he has suffered through the clean table

and spotless dinette, his piles of clothes

dumped unceremoniously on the floor

in the other room.

I can do this in a minute,

and I did, actions speak louder

than words, but did he

even notice?

my life as the table

she wants me to be clean, for every painted square
the pink, light blue and navy blue ones to be visible,
for there to be no pools of honey, bread crumbs, used
paper napkins.
a clear clean horizontal surface,
her breath travels across my surface,
dissipating along the lines to the floor.
he abhors a clean surface, I seem to call to him
as soon as I'm clear, first the papers that never
get attended to, then a grocery bag filled with socks
and empty lunch boxes, dirty.
the line is drawn half way across
but he pushes it little by little,
then brazenly covering my entire
surface.
there is war on my surface
it will play out on the pink and blue squares
each side taking position
the pink will win in the end now
since she has bowed to the blue for
too long.
I know this to be true.

Onward

The first day of 2017

we decide to fight against injustice,

tyranny and ignorance.

we will fight against Trump and his brethren,

the ignorance of the gun-toting masses, those who 

believe that asault weapons are necessary for fighting

the very government who sends them welfare checks,

health insurance and Food Stamps.

let the stupid pay their taxes and work 40 hours,

they say with pride

standing by their new leader.

We will march, we will call, we will send

money across state lines, we will finally stand

against, no longer talking in quiet dialogue,

there is no use to it.

this is war

I will be in the trenches.