Call It a Good Day
Returning home
After being away
Finding ‘myself’
Finding where I left off
Finding serious problems
That begin and end every thought
At the dentist
All minor complications
But each must be tended
Which keep me from my work
Today I drive to Santa Fe
Have an appointment
In the old town
Of adobe walls
Settling issues before
Moving forward
Life is that way
Before you are free
To do as you wish
There is a list of things
That must be tended to
When away
The list grows longer
More to do
Still in the studio
My work waits for me
Like the kitten by the barn door
Waiting for a bowl of milk
Soon I will be back at work
Everything in order
And at the end of the day
I will say it is a good day
____________________
Forewarned of his coming
The speckled shoes
Gator cowboy boots
Would give him away
A flawed character
Indeed
Grew up
In a small Texas town
A flawed beginning
His sorrow
Always
With him
Loved color and paint
The smoke
The drink
...And Maggie
To see him on the road
Trudging to town
To buy the smokes
The drink
Reminded me of Eeyore
(Oh, where was Winnie the Pooh
When we needed him)
A giant of a man
Wise and wondrous
Dumb as a stump
Never disappointed
In his intellect
Inappropriate
More often than not
Good as could be
Worthless to a fault
Heart of gold
Full of love
Tears often
Filled his eyes
For you...
For me...
For all that he could see
Lived life in deep
Valley of sadness
Tried to change
His fate
Without luck
One day Neil
Went away
Still everyday
With Neal was a
Good Day
___________________
___________________
Life’s Not Easy
The phone rang
I recognized your voice
But not much of your words
You challenge me to remember
There are some things I can
Do something about
And some things I cannot
Your health is not good
Have you gone back to the drink
Is it drugs that have slurred your words
When I inquire you deny
You wanted to know if I had sent the
Money for the rent
It’s the kind of thing
That makes sleep impossible
I worry all night through
Years ago I vowed to allow
You your own path
No one ever promised
It would be easy
Not for you or for me
Our lives are tangled
Together for all times
Mother and Son
3 comments:
Oh Annell, how I hear you. The staying awake at night over one's children never ends, does it? We do allow them their own path, but yet their paths inevitably impact our own. I love the poem about Neil, who sounds like a man with a heart that can see clearly all of the pain in living but hasnt experienced much of the joy. It is a wonderful feast in here today, my friend,.
Captcha wouldn't let me in this morning, so I am here again. Each one of your poems sent me to different places. Remembering, wondering, and sad. A good day is just that, one that ends with a sense of accomplishment no matter my intentions. Neil is someone we all know, someone who could not escape the sorrow of living, no matter how much he tried. And your poem about being a parent reminds me that sometimes having children is a difficult task at best. Thank you for being here, for sharing your thoughts and words, and for making the world more beautiful by your presence,
Elizabeth
hard to deny your son...hard to give up hope for them as well...that they will find a way, even when they go to those dark places....glad my mom did not give up on me...
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