Each Step

There are slow days ~

then there are slo-o-o-ow days

when even the air around me seems stifled and stagnant

despite winter barren trees bowing and waving to the sky

when even taking a breath is forgotten

despite the voluntary rhythm of breathing

then in the midst of this limbo

Diana Kraal’s smoky jazz moves me to stand and stir my own air.

to write, to clean, to restore order to

this day that seemed meaningless and chaotic

birthday calls released joy inside my soul

laughter echoed in my home.

intention lead me through each step

as a child takes a parents hand.

“Only as high as I read can I grow, 

Only as far as I seek can I go, 

Only as deep as I look can I see, 

Only as much as I dream can I be,.”

~ Karen Ravn, author

Life Cycle

A beginning, a middle and an end

as winter passes into spring

while the ice melts, 

and water begins to stir

deep roots awaken under

grass, flowers and trees

as the sun warms from above.

“Spring is the time of year when it is 

summer in the sun and winter in the shade.”

~ Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

Then and Now

Rolling into retirement in 2019 

 ~ no intention of anything ~

stay home or go out ~ my choice ~ rest and recuperate.

But ~

hidden away in my mind’s recesses 

whispered expectations drifted into view ~

a stereotype 

a mirage 

positively ancient,

soon to be so decrepit 

that I would crumble 

like a block of concrete

exposed to wind, rain and the elements of time.

Then ~

a pandemic stirred itself inexorably into the mix. 

Taking one step at a time 

on this very rocky path

breathing many deep breaths, 

life tossed in the air 

I landed on the prairies with family ~ 

Now ~

Life has slowed and slowed 

 ~ to the centre of me ~

stay home or go out ~ my choice

   Calm and energized.

“Girls, you’ve gotta know when it’s time to turn the page.”

~ Tori Amos, Tori Amos: From the Choirgirl Hotel