Posts for June 24, 2021 (page 8)

( fthis is one of a series of poems about my grandsons Joey, the Sheriff, rule keeper and Nicholas, the Outlaw and you can all imagine what that means!)

Signed up for series of six private lessons by Mom at local pool.
Instructed by male college student armed with rules to swim PERIOD.
Joey, the Sheriff followed explicit directions no dilly dallying.
Swam straight as an arrow flourished in rules of engagement.

Outlaw floundered in confined swimming box. Giggling, hugging
his brother, splashing, being his true self got kicked to side of pool.
Glared at reprimand. Refused to engage. Where’s the fun here?
Locked horns with instructor and LOST!

Mom had to perform attitude adjustment on Nicholas who
fancies himself Captain Underpants dressed in skivies and cape.
Second lesson slid by smoothly. Outlaw shed his clothes on way
home and donned his Cape! Captain Underpants to the rescue!

The drive is scenic
as only a Wednesday in summer can be:
bright plexiglass air
beneath a sky towering like a deep breath,
and trying to watch a near-desolate road
with sudden hairpins
like a friend’s distracted storytelling
while stealing glimpses of the white thoroughbreds
gathered and glowing like a neon fog
against a small knoll. 

They move among themselves
blurry and indistinct,
a patch of morning hanging well into the afternoon. 

You’ll most likely live 80 years,
That’s 960 months,
Its 4,160 weeks,
Or 29,200 days,
It doesn’t end there though,
80 years is 700,800 hours,
Its 42,048,000 minutes
Or 2,522,880,000 seconds,
Sounds like a lot,
But you’ll only live 2/3rds of it,
And probably only enjoy 1/3rd,
If you aren’t sleeping or working here is how much time you really have,
26 years,
320 months,
1,386 weeks,
9,733 days,
233,600 hours,
14,016,000 minutes,
840,960,000 seconds,
Life may be long,
But if you don’t enjoy or take care of what was given,
That life can become short before you know it

you explained your truth,
the words moved around 
the room 
distance between confrontation
did you find it sick 
that I saw your heart?
It was, the only glance I had
thats why it was not just nothing 

sterile sheets
gossamer gowns
latex gloves in cobalt
a faint smell of antiseptic
seeps through curtained walls
they told me not to be afraid
this is not my world