Frigid Friday

Live in the moment

Eat from the plate

In front of you.

Don't worry about

What happened this morning

Or what's coming next.

Be fully present,

And time seems

To stand still-

Especially when

You have recess duty.

Fourth Grade Girls

Rolling eyes
Toss of hair
Snide giggle
Rather than
Sugar and spice
The girls seem to be
growing into teenagers.
I never understood
The peer pressure
Of cliques.
I guess I was lucky
Not to be too cool.

Insomnia

4:00 A.M.
Sleep worn off
Thousands of thoughts
Taking the place of dreams.
Dreams of
The day's lesson plans
Matching the kids plans.
Dreams of calendar dates
Toppling over from being too full.
Dreams of a to do list
Overdue.
Dreams of
What I forgot to put
On my to do list.
Dreams of
Coming home from school
And going to sleep...
Perchance to dream.

Books

Book Club
Has been a great way
To meet new friends.
I fell in love with
Willa Cather,
Who I never met in high school.
And the "Lonely Passion of
Judith Hearn" haunts me.
"Beloved" Toni Morrison
Taught me a whole new language.
And Bill Bryson always
Makes me laugh.
Books have given me insight
Into other cultures and
Other lives.
They have added to my
Own personal experience.
And isn't that
What friends are for?

Back to School

Back to the spark
Of joy and enthusiasm
When they fathom
The mysteries of the solar system
Or the wonder of
Getting a spelling test right.
Back to the friendship
And camaraderie
Of sharing stories
And peanut butter sandwiches.
Back to the delight
And curiosity
Of new challenges
To be excited about division
And proud of multiplication facts.
Back to school
And on to learning new things.

The Real Things

The things we take for granted

Like life, love, laughter

Those are the things

Buried deep in our hearts.

We need to wake up every day

And laugh

To acknowledge the joy

In our hearts.

Celebrate the ability

To see the wonder of life.

Love with all our hearts

To refill our veins

With the life's blood

Of human communion,

To feel the heartbeat

Of the world.

To keep life sacred

By keeping it in the mundane.

To be mindful of it

And be grateful every day.

1-1-11

A straight line number

As opposed to

The topsy turvey 0

Of 2010-

Signifying the straight and narrow,

Austerity and tightening our belts?

Or upright and honest,

Strong and sturdy?

What lies ahead-

Peek around the corner

Open the door

Let the new year in!