Hatched

It is 56 in the valley
with a fog thick, milky
and so smooth you
could cut it with a butter knife

Every blade of grass
wears a mantel of moisture
to wet a bird's beak

Piper and I climb
toward the sun
just making its debut
stretching its rays
reaching for the fog
ready to burn it off
to lift the valley into light

With warmth on my face
and wet on my feet
I am thinking.

I realize with a start
that for once
it's not
the agonizing haze of
analysis
doubt
of warped concentration on
my Situation.

I am ready
to see the world
to think of my students
to pull two girls

one a misfit
one a depressive
- both brilliant

out of themselves and
into a book club
into the warmth
and companionship
that kindred spirits can supply.
I am ready to save them
- or at least give it a try.

Huh.
Irony strikes.
They have saved me
Their obvious need
has compelled me...
has burned off my fog.

I have some reciprocating to do.

The Kindness of Strangers

The kind
of kindness
that you don't expect
from people who
"owe" you nothing

A tattoo-clad man
and his tween son
watching over me
as I swam through
Jet ski-infested waters today

The bloggers who read
who listen
who comment
as I swim through
tumultuous waters
of a different sort

Sometimes the kind
of kindness
you don't expect
is the most reassuring of all -
People are good.

Maya Angelou Poem

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .....
enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own even if she never wants
to or needs to...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .....
something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her dreams wants
to see her in an hour...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
a youth she's content to leave behind....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .....
a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to
retelling it in her old age....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ......
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black
lace bra...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .....
one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who
lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .....
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone
else in her family...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .....
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a
recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .....
a feeling of control over her destiny...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to fall in love without losing herself...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
HOW TO QUIT A JOB,
BREAK UP WITH A LOVER,
AND CONFRONT A FRIEND WITHOUT RUINING THE FRIENDSHIP...


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that she can't change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that her childhood may not have been perfect...but its over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
whom she can trust,
whom she can't,
and why she shouldn't
take it personally...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
where to go...
be it to her best friend's kitchen table...
or a charming inn in the woods...
when her soul needs soothing...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she can and can't accomplish in a day...
a month...and a year...

AM RUNNER

I was in
68 degree heat
68 percent humidity
at 6:00 in the morning
I was at
141 bpm
for 31:58.
I was.

I saw
the exodus
of the town's gray hairs
Vegas-bound
on a Lamer's bus
From cashed-out parking lot
to coin-craving slots
all
in air-conditioned comfort.

I ran to the top of the world
on a gravel path fanned by grasses
Funneling me into nature's beauty
a lover in the morning
Alive and alert

I descended
and saw
Panchito Sanchez
on his porch
gave him a wave
he nodded back
Biding his time
until the work bell clang

I was in Saturday's race
finding my core
finding my strength
resolving
to go fast
to be true
every second
to wheeze
to hurt
to break through
to emerge
tougher
elated
smiling

I went for a run this morning
I was in the moment
And beyond
I never left city limits
Yet
I went everywhere this morning.