HeartStrung

Colored lights strung up; the scent of pine indoors. It must be Christmas

worry, worrying  doesn’t do a thing for me except for grey hairs

she’ll be gone in four days’ time. four days. for days upon days her room will remain empty the bed permanently made and I will find comfort in the lingering smell of her      one of only a few things      she left behind

thinking of the why's trying to understand you i can't get closer Photo by i.am_nah on Unsplash   

Your words over mine layered in a symphony of heated sound Photo by  Brett Jordan  on  Unsplash

Each morning, she, I, bundled and wrapped head to toe, walk in crisp cold air

One day of my life as seen through haiku. 4 a.m. warm sheets, quiet house cats cry, ready to go out I am half asleep 5 a.m.  clicking corner fan I count, 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . 5 when will sleep return? 6 a.m. cat knocking at door tap, tap, tap, I rise again she goes straight to food back down in bed now my body aches head to toe; stiff joints are the worst 8 a.m. click, squeak, rustle, snap; little sounds bring me awake everyone is up time for me to rise there are things to do today; nothing important 9 a.m. cutting table out strewn with paper and fabric I’m ready to work (but . . . )  motivation lacks scissors remain on table; I’m indecisive 10 a.m. warm water on skin sweet mimosa flower smell my body gets clean joints no longer ache I can reach my feet again and have no tick bites 11 a.m. daughter emerges lunch time from virtual school; different every day an interruption: Florida calls for Andre . . . it's still wrong number 12 p.m. juicy tomato oozes liquid as it...

 I have been sewing a lot lately. It is a feel good activity for me with the added bonus of a new, finished something at the end. While I have known how to sew for the large majority of my life, sewing is one of those wonderful activities for which there is always more to learn, whether it be a new construction technique or a new method or a new tool. There is always another thing out there that I didn't yet learn or another product that I haven't yet tried to make. This is a big reason why I never really tire of the act of sewing. I may get tired of making a particular thing (um, hi, face masks...I'm looking at you) but, pick a new goal and it's like a totally fresh game. I love that about sewing. Sewing is also a little bit like life.  When we're born into the world we don't know how to do life but here we are and we just begin with the very first thing: breath. And then we just keep going forward from there. Learning as we go. There is always something new to...