on the eve of my mother’s birth and the swearing in of a new leader
last night i dreamed: i came upon a strip mall and stumbled upon the store my father had built from scratch all those years ago
i did not dare believe my eyes though it seemed too real not to be believed i ran inside hoping for a glimpse of the man that ruled my childhood my hero who taught me chess gave me his own bike to ride
today i thought i saw another gone silhouette perched upon the windowsill
he died so long and yet not so long i longed so to see his familiar face i could not help but catch a glimpse his bald(ing) head and bright brown eyes
today my mother opens chocolates “her president” as her present she says as each morsel melts washed down with a cup of steaming Lady Grey
i couldn’t quite catch a glimpse of another dear departed, gold fur and eyes brown as warm caramel, i couldn’t quite help but wonder what else dies and is born today
sometimes we need to coat our tongue with warm sugar, sweeten our swallowed bitterness
is this a new beginning or another end?
**In my previous post I said I was going to resume regular scheduling in February, but since this poem is topical I decided to post it today. Normally I let poems sit between edits, but obviously that would not work for a timely posting, so (although edited) this poem is more raw than what I normally share.
Happy New Year! Hopefully, 2021 will be less problematic than 2020.
In the meantime, I’ll share the books I’ve read in the past year. Due to the recent interesting times, many of them are books I’ve read before. When I want a comfort read, I’ll often reach for old favorites: Cyrano de Bergerac and The Walking Dead graphic novels are among my favorites. Since the list is pretty long (I’ll reach 100 one of these years!), I’m listing them by title. If you would like me to go into detail about any of these books, just leave a comment or contact me on social media. I love discussing books!
If you’d like to read one of these selections yourself, I’ve included links. Many of the reads were ebooks and audiobooks via various platforms, often through local libraries. I’ve always loved digital format, but in the past year it’s been more important than ever. Enjoy the list! Maybe you’ll find something you’ll like too.
If you’d like to hear about my favorites from this list, a free complementary post appears on my Patreon. Until next time, stay safe and well and read often!
