March 9, 2021

Pandemic Fashion

Before going for a walk I finally change out of my pandemic uniform -
Husband's over sized baggy black sweatshirt with the frayed cuffs
Brown cotton leggings that have a tiny hole in the thigh,
One of the many Aliki dresses - so comfy, and pockets!
The purple Tibetan prayer shawl, 
Rescued from the neighbors's free box.

I might dab on some make-up
Before a Zoom session,
But it's much easier to just use 
The enhanced setting.

I rarely wear shoes anymore -
Maybe the fake Ugg boots if it's chilly,
I miss my black leather Danskos.

I've removed half a dozen bracelets,
Unclasped the jade Kuan Yin pendant,
Slipped off each silver rings one by one,
Tend to forget to put in nose rings,
Let alone a dozen earrings.

Right now,
My main accessory,
Seems to be
Cat hair.



March 3, 2021

Soul Gardening


Waking up from dormancy,
Fertilized with green tea.
Bulbs burst into daffodils,
Paperwhites unfold,
Weeding out last night's dreams.
Deadheading the nightmares.
Left with the compost of my mind,
Time to repot, time to transplant,
Spring is almost here.
Time to change the 
Clocks, time
To dig a little 
Bit deeper.

February 18, 2021

Inner Coach


There is a voice inside my head,
My inner coach, here's what she said:
You can do it, you've done it before,
You're getting better, you're upping the score.

Be patient with yourself, learn to believe in you,
Have faith in the process, you know what to do,
You're being active, alive and well,
Taking care of the garden, making sure your husband is swell.

The cats are happy, the house is clean,
You're getting things done in this time of in between
Wildfires, elections, and covid-19,
Protest, people being mean.

So be kinder to yourself, be gentle my dear,
Pay attention to the truth, let go of the fear.
Take a walk every day, drink more water, less wine,
Keep loving yourself and it'll all be just fine.

You are doing exactly what you need to do,
You're having fun using your talents a new,
So expect that you'll live to be 104,
And in that good night you'll gently shut the door.

February 10, 2021

Impeachment Blues


While I believe in all things empirical 
Trump getting convicted will surely be a miracle 
Hard enough to convince a jury of 12,
17 Republicans sitting on the shelf.

I do hope to see Trump rot in jail,
Maybe better brooding in a self-imposed hell,
Deutsche Bank takes the Trump tower,
Who else will strip him of his power?

Mar-a-Lago, golfing in Scotland,
Acting like nothing's wrong, that's right man.
Every narcissist thinking like it's all swell,
Look at poor Ghislaine Maxwell.

There is no real trial by jury,
Everyone checks Twitter for the flurry, 
Epstein didn't kill himself, 
Yet another casualty on the shelf.

Of all the rewards, Trump trophies -
One more year of Covid-19,
Let's keep tally, how many are dead -
All are on Donald Trump's head,

Let alone the January insurrection, 
Riled by his lies continuously resurrected, 
He didn't win the last popular vote, nor the one before, 
His ire is that of the last election, bringing national discord.

His hate is worse than the pandemic, 
More virulent than the plague,
From BLM to disable folks not getting the vaccine,
And has Breonna ever been redeemed?

The spread of lies has brought a whole country down, 
But how we love to watch this orange haired clown,
So I sit, and observe the trial,
I wonder what will be final.

Thank the goodness for the few willing to stand,
They are what makes America Grand,
Not addicted to their party, but the truth, 
Hopefully they will act forsooth.

Farmers and essential workers are finally getting the shots,
While Mom and Pop businesses still continue to close up shop.
All this and more is what I know to be true,
I've got another case of the impeachment blues.

February 2, 2021

Pandemic Haikus


Punctuation

After three years of
Chronicling menopause
I get my period

Twenty Seconds
Dress, glasses, flip flops
Cats, keys, what I can carry
Evacuation

Pandemic Postcard
Pat my lap, the cat
Chooses to sit next to me
Feline distancing

Little Corner Store
Turning my back on
Promise of chips and beer, damn
I forgot my mask

10/4/2020
Dearest Lisa G.
How do you feel now that Trump
Has COVID-19?

New Normal
Don’t feel like cooking
Hope husband will do it
Bless Delivery

January 26, 2021

Day 13 - How to Procrastinate



Day 13 - How to Procrastinate

Life should consist in at least 50% pure waste of time, and the rest doing what you please. - Isabel Patterson

Decide there is something you need to do today. Put it on a list. As the morning unfolds, notice what is being scratched off above and below it. Start to feel some anxiety. Now almost all of the list is finished. Start a new list. Decide it needs to be rewritten in sharpie. Add things to the list you've already done, have the satisfaction of scratching them out. Highlight project in yellow.

Decide it is time. Or that you have the time. Or that you are willing to do it for 20 minutes. Gather up everything you need. Too early for wine, maybe a cup of soothing green tea? Notice the kitchen counter is full of breadcrumbs, start cleaning. As long as you've got the broom out, might as well sweep the front porch, after all it is important for Feng Shui as it represents Career/Life Path. Prune the geraniums, consider what needs to be watered, add “wash car.”

Come back inside, go pee, observe project all laid out on the kitchen table. Better go brush teeth, shower, change clothes, make the bed, set the Roomba to work. Time to check emails, texts, Instagram, the guild competition, collect coins and crystals on June's Journey, do the Spelling Bee, Letterbox, save the New York Times crossword puzzle to be a reward for finishing the project.

Sit down. Align everything on the table. Think about all the other projects on your list, how great it will feel when they are done. Pick up your pen. Let the cat out. Let the cat in. Feed the cat. Wash the water bowl and put in fresh water with an ice cube because it's hot outside today. Smoke a bowl, have a little snack, notice the thermostat, put on the fan, add “replace filters.”

Pet the cat. Take pictures of the cat. Post to Facebook. Check other posts. Google “News.” Scroll through endless sound bites. Ask Siri to see more of this and less of that. Delete photos. Delete old emails. Delete old email addresses. Clear call history. Delete all old texts. Feel virtuous.

Sit down, organize papers, review what has been done, staple, collate, go look for paper clips in the junk drawer. Organize the junk drawer. Rearrange the cork bulletin board according to the principles of Feng Shui. Clean the trash can, look in the fridge, look in the freezer, look in the pantry. Almost out of almonds. Add to list. Empty the dish rack, the dishwasher, consider doing laundry, even though it's already on next week's list. Put on some music. Breathe now that everything is clean, tidy, organized, and just so. Let the cat in. Let the cat be on your lap. Now you're truly immobilized. After some time passes, move the cat gently. Put your project on your lap. Give it your full attention. Begin today's writing prompt, "Write about something you know how to do."