January's River

After waiting outside and in
freezing moments of blank time
floating silence, a tick-tock
tick-tock; will I be chosen?
Tick-tock, tick-tock; what
if I'm sequestered? Tick...
click, the clerk appears:
everyone can leave now.

*

Do the math:
A pile of grassy mud
Waist high, truck wide
Yellow taped perimeter--
Eyesore area

*

Morning shower
water's brown
front yard dug up
neighbor's frown
it's theirs, not ours
but still the same
the water's brown
we'll wait in vain.

*

The day ahead brings-
basketball games
snacks, check;
dance practice
time, check;
Pinewood Derby
cars ready, check;
family fun guaranteed,
check, check, check.

*

Driving home from the funeral home
After saying goodbye to a friend
I receive a call, a baby's been born
The circle of life continues again

*

Kids are all tucked in
I'm working on a piece
Hubby's back in school
So he's poring over books
He asks me for a favor
Could I make a PBJ?
To which I answer boldy
Would you like one poem or two?

*

Turning My Will Over:
In the silence of the morning
when the day is half awake
I lie supine and drink it in-
this new day you may take.

*

Weather forecast for SE Texas:
Today- rainy with a chance for cold
Tomorrow- sunny and warm enough for shorts
Repeat

*

Internet's down
and I'm up
the Energizer bunny
spinning like crazy
cleaning, cooking
shopping...
honey, Internet's up

*

A snowstorm of leaves
kiss en route
everything in sight.

*

No! Stop! Other end! No!
~swoosh~
AWWW...
Two points for the other side.

*

He carries cigarette butts on his shoes
enveloped in the dirty laces
ready to grab in a split second
if that’s all he has
a second
to run outside and puff
maybe once, maybe twice
but he’ll save it for later
and that’s okay-
he’s been clean a week now.

*

At Walgreens:
The lady in the checkout line
says she wishes they'd stop
saying each year was the end
of the world and then asks
for a pack of Marlboro Lights.

*

Hubby's first day of MBA classes
it's back to the MIA rat race again
as I play single mom to three
my head begins to spin.

*

He said we'd have to eat the sun
five layers, downhill to the core
yellow bell peppers... or orange?
Sour cream and, and some Cool Whip dyed!
Shredded carrots; no, no...mandarin oranges!
How about some cake frosting, too?
We better buy a lot of food coloring
for this freak of a model
oh, and a sliver of cottage cheese
moon on the side
don't you think?

*

Nature's connect the dots:
a bevy of crows ~ dark spots
in a winter-stripped tree ~ pencilled lines
on a cloudy day ~ white paper.
What will you see?

*

Bridal wreath dances in the wind
anticipating the big day
with the white dress.

*

Sitting in church
she picks her black
fingernail polish off-
peeling away the layers.

*

A Fresh Perspective:
Subbing makes me glad
I don't teach anymore.
Enough said.

*

warm Grape Nuts
on a frozen grapes morn
oh, no
flung across the keyboard
oh, yes
Friday the 13th

*

Impel was the word
that was supposed to be
but with a Texas twang
pronounced im-pay-el
by the teACHEr
he spelled it i.m.p.a.l.e.
knocking him out
of the final spelling bee.
I'm impelled to impale
HER. oink. oink.

*

For breakfast, grapefruit
the aisle in the sky;
a dose of Vitamin C, see?

*

Happiness signs:
Indigo gleams
Juniper shines
Kaleidescope dreams

*

Monday stayed home sick today
he was up all night complaining
with thunderous outbursts, discontent
and when he finally showed his face
at Morning Dawn's drive-in show
sallow was his color, off
so in he'll stay today.

*

Fog is a heavy cloak
of consternation
blinding
all perception
polluting
sanity
until
the son's light
lifts it.

*

hustle
tumble
ball
hoggery
shoot
dang!
come on
foul
scowl
hustle
lanky
swanky
woosh
yeah!

*

Microwaved or grilled
soap will never crayons be
scraps that melt together
but the house and yard
won't smell like school
rather, a fragrant shop
with an airborne lather.

*

Homemade taste
vanilla treat
in swirls
a cone
sweet
Blue
Bell
dig
in
.

*

What a naughty tactic
coming from the dogs
Jake and Snowy
placing their paws
at the fence's zenith
scaring off
the neighbor's cat

*

dancing figures across the wall
sun's shadow play
while outside leaves somersault
hours of winter's day

*

A two-week holiday, the kids rise early with anticipation;
back to school on Monday, the kids want to hibernate.

*

Loose bamboo shoots discovered
Reaching skyward in I's and X's ~
A boy's dream
A home owner's nightmare

***

@laurie kolp

aros, small stones- January 2012