in between

We are in between the holidays right now--Thanksgiving (we had two again this year--one with some family on Tday, another last eve with new friends, family and our son who works on the traditional date); Chanukah starts this week and, of course, there is Christmas which arrived in all of its materialistic glory before Halloween. Thank goodness (and Godness) that there are ways to bridge the season meaningfully. For Christians, today is the first Sunday of Advent. For Methodists, we begin the Sunday service with one more hymn of Thanksgiving, light the first Advent candle, have a short sermon from Psalms 100 and then end by singing "Look to the East" and "Emmanuel." So, in a short hour we shift from turkey to evergreen.

This was a wonderful week, actually. Only on Wednesday did I succumb to the drumbeat of emails and work-related phone calls,three failures making divinity (my mother's recipe) and with this, a return of a mild anxiety period. But, that was the only "blip" and "slip" of the week. I stayed pretty centered thanks to Mark's companionship and the sweet distraction of the presence of my visiting sister and brother-in-law and niece and nephew. I was gifted by their request to "sleepover" at Aunt Nini's house on Friday so Saturday I had two pre-adolescents bundled under the covers, watching "Lord of the Rings", being served eggs, fruit and toast by their smiling auntie. I loved it.

I didn't do my poetry prompts everyday, but several days and so I include them here. My MAJOR milestone, also on Wednesday and probably a contributor to my anxiety cycle, was my submission of my short, short story to Writer's Digest. Gratitude goes to my writer-coach who helped me craft a mere 700 plus words into a narrative that I felt I could send forward. It's my first submission in 35 years, so I am officially a writer-out-of-the-closet now.

And here are my poems from this week:

11/21 prompt: "taking a stand"
When you've been on your ass
for two and a half months,
first, foot in a cast,
then a black velcro strapped boot--
Relearning how to stand
is a lesson in humility.
Adding twenty-five pounds
every twelve days
demonstarted how muscles have to work
and how hard it is
to ask them to
after all that rest.
But, amazingly, the body responds
to the mind's commands.
And, after fifteen days of pounds added,
I stand.

11/23 prompt: Hay(na) Sku poetry form
Birds
fly south
in the winter.

They
come north
as the sun rises.

Two
children fly
to the desert.

Their
aunt waits
with open heart.

For
a few
days, she laughs.

Like
the birds
migration means change.

In
the end:
all is well.

11/27 prompt: blame
Blame the moon
for the light that shines.
It pulls me to it
all through the night.

I toss and turn
rise and stand,
look out the window
across the land.

Where mountains rise
up from the dark,
where coyotes prowl
and make their mark--

Called "scat", it signals
where they roam.
While, wide awake,
I remain at home.

But my soul, also,
prowls desert spaces
with fear and drama
in distant places.

There missiles fly
and flames arise,
brushing red and black
into warring skies.

All because
the moon so bright
is round and full
on this late autumn night.

11/28 prompt: what really happened
Who know what really happened?
It's all speculation now.
Whether he "flew the coop"
out of fear or the need to explore
the expanding horizons of adulthood.
What matters now is
he ate at our table last night
with smiles and laughter.
He hugged me with love,
admired my cleaned up pantry,
talked with his aunt and grandfather,
saw the stars on his way home
and stayed safe on the road.