Monthly Archives: July 2020

Animal Nature

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Animal Nature

She had a penchant for excitement but discretion was a must,
for how her family worried and how her family fussed—
fingers tearing hair and both palms shielding eyes.
Was bungee-jumping safe? Did she think sky-diving wise?

They’d have her clipping coupons and baking cherry pies,
so she only did her favorite things shrouded in disguise.
A person in a chicken costume jumping from a plane
might have been seeking notice, might have seemed inane

if the chicken ever took off her feathers or her mask.
If she ever answered the questions they might ask.
But she only shed her feathers once safely in her home,
arranging them with fingers and a broad-toothed comb.

Snow-boarding in her fox costume, she knew they’d never know
how she banged up her left elbow, fractured her little toe.
She’d said it was at tennis—that family-sanctioned sport,
as they happily imagined her on golf course or on court.

They found other sport unseemly, inappropriate at best
when associated with their spotless family crest.
Thus did she live her life according to her nature
while never bringing shame to her family nomenclature!

Words prompts for the day are: eyes, penchant, excitement, discretion and coupon. Illustration from Pinterest.

Birthday Bouquet

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This bouquet of Gerbera daisies, baby’s breath and alstroemeria was one of the nice surprises to pop up on my birthday yesterday. Here are some others. Click on the photos to enlarge and read captions.

My sister and brother-in-law were the first to wish me happy birthday when they called to sing “Happy Birthday.” As we talked, Sergio and David next door asked me to meet them at my garage door where they greeted me with a dozen of David’s incredible chocolate cookies
As they handed me their birthday offerings, a butterfly flew in to continue David’s butterfly motif. I nestled on the concrete beside us the whole time we were there.
Mary Oliver is my favorite poet. How did they know?
It seemed appropriate to chase the birthday cake with one of David’s delicious cookies after a relaxing swing in the hammocks. A nice, peaceful birthday.

For Cee’s FOTD

The Gift

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The Gift

Once more you have defeated me with your machination,
for this gadget you have gifted me defies imagination.
Those tripartite metal arms are too small for much  lifting,
but too far apart to make use of in fine sifting.

The little barrel at the end resembles a munition,
but it does not match a firearm of any definition.
Is it a curling iron? Should I use it in my grooming?
If I plug it in should I expect a lethal booming?

Who knows if it was meant for betterment or sure destruction?
Such gifts are more appreciated when sent with instruction!
The layoffs at our company were no fault of my own.
I didn’t learn of yours until after you had flown.

The powers that be just acted without consulting me.
The charges that the fault was mine, in truth, are calumny.
I swear your firing was in no way due to my picking,
so please reclaim your gift before it ceases in its ticking!!!

Prompt words are layoff, gadget, imagination, tripartite and definition. Illustration thanks to Unsplash, used with permission.

tri·par·tite (I’d never heard the word before either, so here’s the pronunciation and definition:/trīˈpär’ˌtīt/ adjective  shared by or involving three parties.“a tripartite coalition government”consisting of three parts.“a tripartite classification.”)

Reaching for the Sky: FOTD July 3, 2020

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For Cee’s Flower of the Day.

Caterpillar Baby

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This poem by Hoosiersunshine is so tender and heartfelt and lovely that I have to reblog. Please leave her a comment on her blog so she’ll know you’ve read it.

puneybones's avatarhoosiersunshine13

I can feel eyes on me in the dark, watching and waiting.

It is my baby, swaddled, from his bedside bassinet with bright eyes that reflect the glow of the nightlight, like two oil slicks on the pavement.

He is a caterpillar, tightly bundled, with his arms to his sides, wiggling and inching his way closer to me.

I watch the little bug with the face of a human, the sprout of a person, move and struggle against the confines of his swaddle, ready to break free and to unfurl his undeveloped wings.

Not yet, my little caterpillar.

His brother is made of stardust and this boy is of the earth.

Together, they are my universe.

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Freedom Cafe–Where Everyone Sets their Own Rules!!

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This wonderful Twitter essay by Libby Jones was sent to me by my friend Ken Salzmann.

Welcome to the Freedom Cafe! We trust you to make your own choices if you want to wear a face mask. And, in the same spirit of individual liberty, we allow our staff to make their own choices about the safety procedures they prefer to follow as they prepare and serve your food.

We encourage employees to wash their hands after using the bathroom, but understand that some people may be allergic to certain soaps or may simply prefer not to wash their hands. It is not our place to tell them what to do.

We understand that you may be used to chicken that has been cooked to 165 degrees. We do have to respect that some of our cooks may have seen a meme or a YouTube video saying that 100 degrees is sufficient, and we do not want to encroach on their beliefs.

Some of our cooks may prefer to use the same utensils for multiple ingredients, including ingredients some customers may be allergic to. That is a cook’s right to do so.

Some servers may wish to touch your food as they serve it. There is no reason that a healthy person with clean hands can’t touch your food. We will take their word for it that they are healthy and clean.

Water temperature and detergent are highly personal choices, and we allow our dishwashing team to decide how they’d prefer to wash the silverware you will put in your mouth.

Some of you may get sick, but almost everyone survives food poisoning. We think you’ll agree that it’s a small price to pay for the sweet freedom of no one ever being told what to do – and especially not for the silly reason of keeping strangers healthy.

HERE is her original Twitter thread.

Stale Humor

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Stale Humor

A ubiquitous imagination is just like all the others
with no variation from your sister’s or your brother’s.
It does not twist or undulate. It runs a narrow course.
It has a sense of humor never varying from its source.

As Mother dreamed and Father dreamed, so does it dream as well.
It does not flaunt, cavort, carouse. It’s locked within a cell.
It doesn’t thrive on irony. It does not tease or bait us.
In lieu of furnishing fresh air, we flounder in its flatus.

God save us all from normalcy and those who are too dumb
to develop their own funny bone but who remain humdrum
by reciting age-old jokes to us and memorizing jokes
that haven’t drawn much laughter since they learned them from their folks.

 

Prompt words for the day are flatus, ubiquitous, imagination, carouse and twist.

Rain Beetles

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The rain has brought out three new varieties of large beetles that I’ve never seen before. Can anyone identify them? Click on photos to enlarge.

Hibiscus with Friends: FOTD July 2, 2020

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For Cee’s FOTD prompt.

Nuptial Gardening

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(This gardener used for illustrative purposes only!!!)

Nuptial Gardening

Once I was his buttercup. He plucked me from the bunch.
He bought me lovely jewelry and took me out to lunch.
He called me “dear” and “princess” and set me on a throne.
I had no respite from him. I never was alone.

But now that we are married, this man who was my savior
is stingy with household accounts and questions my behavior.
Our house once warm and welcoming is now a gelid zone.
If I knew what I’d done to cause it, I’d try to atone.

But he cannot come up with any errant act or deed
that transformed me from buttercup to a common weed.
He will not plough my garden, though frequently I ask.
Perhaps I’ll hire a gardener to complete the task.

Prompt words are gathered from five different sites. To see those sites, click on the words which are all linked to their sites: gelid, zone, behavior, respite and buttercup.  (This gardener used for illustrative purposes only!!!)