Find a way to make it through.
The last step of a hard day.
I’m pushing up one final effort,
one more thing before bed.
I want to show you I love you;
me speaking it aloud doesn’t do it justice.
I’ve tried you today, made you
angry, vexed by hard tongue,
harder head, making it all
about myself. How was your day?
What are you thinking about? I want
to hear your voice fill the room.
What do you want?
I didn’t want to write a poem today.
After twenty-six straight
my font of inspiration is dry; a fossilized lake-
bed where once liquid silver sprang
now, all is silent and dust.
No tinkle or sparkle
no smell save must
of age and of disrepair
a porch swing in the still air.
I am all used up, a cicada husk
left behind and stranger to love.
I’ll keep trudging on
towards the thirtieth, I figure.
Momma ain’t raise no quitter.
Praise Nature’s soothing embrace
Her artistic swirls of grace
Her hummingbird praise, tolerance of decays
Her patience and willingness to soothe disobeys
Praise Divine Mother gracious snow cone maker
Her flowing melts from mountains’ acre
to river banks and seas’ breaker
Praise all she sees in her seize as give and taker
Praise the grace of Mother’s hugs her dance for you and me
The way she nods to gently say,
“Tomorrow it’ll be . . .
better wait and see!”
Praise the earth on which we stand
Mother’s patient healing hand
Praise your beauty ~ Praise your grace
Praise your precious nature face
Praise your prays ~ healing praise
To many prayer bouquets we raise
In praise of your beauty
and unfailing duty
Patient witness of our blatant disobeys
Your self-less forgiveness does amaze
When the heat is truly unbearable
For days on end
Some things just have to wait
So now I’m making ramen
At 2 in the morning
While the noodles cook
Much like I have all day
Time to fold towels
From the dryer that also
Had to wait
Some of the towels are getting thin
Others have random rips and holes
Half are some shade of pink
From a maroon beach towel
Bought at Myrtle Beach years ago
Oh, how I’d love to be at the beach!
I wouldn’t care about the heat
A breeze blowing my hair
Waves rolling over my feet
And pulling sand from beneath my toes
But the smell of sand and salt
Is replaced by boiling ramen
I push sweaty tendrils from my face
Since there’s no breeze here
Time to eat
Because I don’t have the spoons
to navigate the medical system and medication
That alone feels like enough proof
for ADHD work
So in true race car brain fashion
I dive into the deep end
Only to discover that on the other side
of the precipitating hormones and trauma
I have fashioned an ADHD-friendly life
With brain breaks and yoga
More humanity and less technology