Dogs snore
beside me as I lie
white plastered foot
elevated on pillows like a crown.
Royal pain.
poem-turn back time January 7, 2015
In Outlander,
Jamie, the good husband, is always giving his wife, Claire, good advice.
He gives advice to keep her safe.
Stay here in this clearing, away from the soldiers.
Sage advice.
Stay here in the hold, away from the pirates.
Good counsel.
Claire, a modern woman with a mind of her own, makes her own decisions.
Her decisions often run counter to Jamie’s.
Invariably, Jamie has to bail her out of the trouble she’s landed in,
because she didn’t listen to him.
Today,
my good husband came home for lunch and said,
“Don’t go out there. It’s treacherous! I had to put down salt,
to melt the ice on the driveway!”
When he returned to work,
I saw the mail lady come.
I’m expecting a parcel.
There’s salt down.
What’s the worst that could happen?
I stepped on islands made by salt pellets
down our steep drive,
crossed the slippery road, and was within a meter of the mailbox
when I was splayed out on the edge of the road like a frog.
Ah! So that’s the worse that could happen.
Stay here in the house, away from the ice, he’d said
And after, my good husband didn’t even say,
“I told you so.”
Oh, if I could turn back time!
.
5 hours in Emergency because I have a spiral fracture in my ankle, and apparently orthopaedic surgeon will screw in a plate tomorrow, but at least I don’t have to pay anything for this adventure thanks to Canadian MediCare!
🙂
Outlander is written by Diana Gabaldon. It’s an amazing historical, time-travel, adventure, romance, amazing novel that you should read. My husband adores it, and tried to get everyone he knows to read it, as do I.
poem-snow day January 6, 2015
It snowed
and snowed
and snows
and snows.
The radio announces
the school districts are cancelling school.
The radio announcers laugh
at how happy the kids are to have extended vacation.
Meanwhile the teachers
text one another messages that always end,
“YAY!”
.
.
.
Living in Canada, we’re used to snow. We have the equipment and infrastructure to clear it. As a result, neither as student nor teacher had I experienced a “snow day” before. Sometimes when we lived north in Prince George, BC if it was below -40 C (or F they’re the same at that temperature) the buses wouldn’t run, but schools were still open and teachers were expected to be there. It started snowing Saturday, January 3rd and then it kept snowing Sunday and Monday. Yesterday (Monday) at 9 pm 20 inches (51 cm) had accumulated on our back deck. The snow clearing machinery couldn’t keep up. The side roads were plugged. Cars were stuck all over the place. Because plows were clearing roads, they couldn’t clear school parking lots. So school was cancelled! Yesterday and today!
Yesterday I used the time to do some reading I didn’t get to over the holiday, because I was finishing work on my latest novel project, While I Was Out. Last night, just when the second closure was announced, I got the syllabus and links for my latest Masters class in my email. This class is delivered online. So! Lucky me, I get five bonus hours to work on my course. That makes today a professional development day for me. 🙂
poem-awkward January 5, 2015
He needs a bed,
and she has one,
so she welcomes him to it,
and he lies.
poem-wishes January 4, 2015
She wishes
he were the sort of man
who wears a fedora
with his jeans,
but has learned not
to expect so much
from a farm boy.
poem- almost January 3, 2015
When you think
that you’re finished,
that all the Ts are crossed
and the Is are dotted,
that every word is brilliant,
that the reader will be on the edge
of her seat from first page to last,
then you submit your work to your editor,
Who shows you
that you’re wrong.
poem-choosing January 2, 2015
I sift and skim
reflecting:
Are you strong enough?
Are you fresh enough?
Words combined and aligned
into sensation and celebration
Are you vibrant enough?
Are you true enough?
I sift and skim,
selecting.
.
.
.
Today I am working through a collection of poetry that’s been sorted once by theme, then by non-poets for accessability. Now I’m trying to find the very best to submit for publication. I have to weed out half. It’s a challenge! I feel sad for the ones I pitch. 😉
poem- palettes January 1, 2015
Today’s sight
is a palette of black and white.
Today’s dichotomy
will be tomorrow’s
possibility
poem- new to you December 31, 2014
Whatever is tied up in this gift
unwrap it joyfully.
Pull out difficulty, challenge, and struggle;
laugh at the lessons you’re learning.
Celebrate what has been and what will be
Celebrate what is now and what will be
Celebrate you.
Celebrate me.
Celebrate
what
will
be.
Each day is a gift
New for you to
Celebrate.
poem-ready
She’s reached the end of her rope
and she’s swinging hard,
pumping her legs for maximum height,
fury fueling her flight.
She’s aiming for the edge
she’s leaping into space
and she’s grabbing on the way down.
When she lands,
she’s crushing injustice beneath her feet.
and throwing up her hands,
in victory.
.
.
Been editing tonight. Just getting to the end of the story, when the downtrodden heroine seizes power… 😉
Shawn L. Bird 