old lady ...

1.

old lady —
instead of romance
chocolates


2.

old lady —
instead of lovers
hot novels

(I'm not being ageist. I'm the old lady concerned, and quite happy, albeit wryly amused, with my substitutions.)

alone ...

alone —
the days
go by

nightfall ...

nightfall –

running feet

echo

dusk ...

dusk –
children's voices
fade

Instead of the monumental ...

Instead of the monumental, she opts to make small, exquisite things.

I stay in bed all day ...

I stay in bed all day,
refusing the day —
this rainy day, when finally
I know my old friend
has said goodbye.

grey day outside ...

grey day outside —

here in my cave all day

I’m bingeing on blues  

instruments groan and wail

... and I’m in sheer delight

night noises ...

night noises
don't scare – I'm reading
of strong women

sun out ...

sun
out from cloud –
bird-screech

dark garden ...

dark garden –
wind chimes
and rain

late night cold ...

late night cold
I turn off the porch light
a dog howls

Getz on tenor sax ...

Getz on tenor sax sweetens isolation, in this digital age.

my winter tea ...

my winter tea

cinnamon and orange —

the sun comes out  

All night the rain ...

All night the rain 

mutters and grumbles

like an old quarrel, on and on 

without resolution, finally 

subsiding with a dribble.

those muffled sounds ...

those muffled sounds — 
a small black cat’s 
persistent ghost

lingering ...

lingering 

even in silence —

the sound of

that unanswered phone’s

reverberations

winter sun ...

winter sun —

noon is bright gold

briefly

Shut inside ...

Shut inside I almost miss startling red blooms, new on my bottlebrush.

Léon Pereira, Apothecary

I don’t know much more than his name and profession, my great-grandfather.

on this rose quartz heart ...

on this rose quartz heart
intersecting lines of light
form kisses both sides

Dark times ...

Dark times. So hard
to find anything
that I can love.

First focus on the small:
leaves, flowers, young birds...

Jorell

this fairy

enchanted us —

inspiring

his only book

made in old age

 






now his daughter

makes a facebook page 

about her dad

that sweet, gifted man —

missing him (me too)

Note: If anyone's wondering, this paperback edition is long out of print. but the ebook remains available from Smashwords.

Winter but ...

Winter but

the small geranium

blooms pink

night alone

night alone —

the comfort of

a dripping tap