Basking
There will be time, there will be time...
Time for you and time for me,
and time for all the works and days of hands
That life and drop a question on your plate;
T.S. Eliot
basking in the words
of a poem set aside, long forgotten
the warm glow of verses once familiar
comfort like a soothing bath
taking you back
to another time and place
to whom you once were
when you loved those words
that burrowed in your soul
when you were young
and your life was ahead of you
dangling like an unanswered question
and maybe you never really understood the poem
but it didn’t matter
because you felt it
and it never left you
like burning embers
waiting to be re-kindled
and even though you are older and more worldly now
when you return to the lines—
read them aloud, caress and hold them
you still marvel
at how someone could have composed
those words at all
My Valentine’s Day
after Jane Hirschfeld
Today when dawn paints the sky magenta
Today when the universe of us composes a heart song
Today when you’re making morning noises shaving in the bathroom
Today when you grasp my fingers and kiss them
Today when I remind you to take your pills
Today when you insist I put on the alarm when you leave
Today when I remember you brought me Cheerios in bed
after my chemo treatments
Today when you forget a corny Hallmark card from CVS
and overpriced roses from Safeway
Today when you yell “I’m home” four times
because you can’t hear me yell “I’m up here”
Today every crevice of my heart will be suffused
with a tide pool of us
Today let me not crumble with thoughts
of when we will no longer be we
Indian Summer Twilight from my Balcony
Late September swelters, stubborn and unyielding
until twilight seeps in and the sun lifts its skirts
breathing a sigh of relief
as the weary heat of the day surrenders
to cool wafting breezes, guaranteeing a cooler tomorrow
dark encroaches melding with streaks of purple sky
while the magnolia tree winks and offers its magnificent shelter
reminding me I can count on its full-throated presence
long thick branches, stalwart, full and commanding
keeping the house cool on the hottest days
truth is, I’m not used to my new home yet
wondering if I can accept my changed life for what it is
for what it might become
enjoying this moment with humility, grace and gratitude
recognizing new beginnings, and fresh starts are possible
realizing it’s really ok to welcome happiness
even if it sneaks in quietly on tippytoes