HOUR 9 MY DAUGHTER LEAVES FOR COLLEGE   Most parents send their children to college And survive the parting. Why was it so difficult for me? So wrenching? She had a protective life, and I pushed her to leave, to experience life on her own….

My mother’s mashed potatoes were perfect. Smooth, creamy with just the right ratio of milk and butter to potato. She also had the perfect potato masher. The smashing part was metal with a red wooden handle that just fit your hand. When I furnished my…

Prompt 11 – Extraordinary   A new Pen   The invention of a pen that writes down what you’re thinking, would be cool   Imagine if it also corrected grammar itself, a scary thought   As cool as it is it would take away basic…

These illusions Which we’ve centered our lives Aren’t as concrete as we imagine. They aren’t as fixed As we’ve been taught They’re as fixed As a house made Off exploited labor Cutting corners On stolen land Easily destroyed by the earth’s Mighty winds and flames…

Hour Eleven Fields and fields, of grass, weeds, and dandelions. Trees and trees, of needles, leaves, and boughs. Flowers and flowers, of purple, blue, and pink. Grass and grass, of shade, sun, and crabs. Shrubs and shrugs, of boxwood, japonica, and holly. Birds and birds,…

Waiting patiently to be opened The weathered book sat dejected On the coffee table Near the bed Quietly   Getting ready to amaze with words Images and ideas to take the reader on a journey far away and yet close by   Painting with imaginative…

My longest running study buddy is a support, and an absolute rock As a child, a teen, a youth, a young person, and onwards in years Has stood sentinel Silent watchman Witness to my widening mind and heart Diligent in his duties He has attended…

Standing there, with your back to me, binocular eyes staring up at the trees I startled you, as I was parking my bike You smiled at me as I headed for the trail which then seemed like I was following you You broke the silence…

Book in hand, eyes on page, Printed books, traditional And still very functional Even paper stiff with age. Eyes on screen, phone in hand Ebooks, newer, more compact Still are books, for all that Readers worldwide understand Fingers brush dots in groups Ears take books…

The Recipe Box   The blue, wooden recipe box Was a summer project in 1964, When I was ten. Nailed together into a rectangle with Almost 90-degree corners, It held tried-and-true ways to make delicious meals: Watergate salad, corn pudding, popovers, Blueberry mace cake, banana…