snuggle in

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nap time

doesn’t matter what time of day
snuggle in

and before you know it
dog elbow in your thigh
snoring at your left
brown and golden fur
within arm’s reach
you didn’t even have to say anything
they just knew

mom’s resting
snuggle in

although you have less room than you did
something heavy, half on and half off
you can’t really move
but you feel it

one hundred and sixty pounds of dog pile
trying to heal your broken pieces
they don’t say a word
you feel it in your bones
in your soul
in the dark, cold parts
that even therapy can’t seem to reach

one snore
one yawn
doggy breath in the face
the assignment stands:

snuggle in
mom needs us

Not much to say…life has been life-ing a lot lately. It was a day of resting today. (I’m preparing this on a Sunday.) Naps. Quiet time, too much doom scrolling, probably. Watched a Pacific Rim movie. Need to do adult things. Don’t wanna. Sometimes vegging is just easier.

Hope you have a good week.

–AJM

the poor man’s vote

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we cast our lot
with those consumed with power
they don’t know what minimum wage is
or how expensive it is to feed a family of four
they swindle and they lie
and apparently some
rape children

it makes me think
what happens
to the world
when there are no good people left
no leaders
who actually give a damn

or should we get used to the facts now
that the country that we once knew
no longer exists

to the moon

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It’s amazing to me
before flat screens
before smart phones
before AI
before women we’re even allowed to
man walked on the moon

now fifty years later
the first woman
is on a moon mission
she’s blessed it
honored the Goddess
gazed on her face
and have paved the way
for other women
to follow in her footsteps

maybe a woman
will walk on the moon
next time

fly

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one day
they’ve grown old
but you feel content
and confident
and bold
you’re not too shy now
to go places
then you notice
the wrinkles
on their faces
the humor
the disguised lie
and it makes you
want to cry
time didn’t wait
for you to catch up
it didn’t reach out a hand
to try
it laced up its skates
said, fly

snack time

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we hear rustling
the sound only a bag can make
that belongs to chips
or cheesy goodness
he rolls over
head on my lap
and strains his face and nose
towards the sound
another rustle
eyes wide
I can see his bear face thinking
is this a snack worth leaving
the warmth of bed
and then a few minutes pass
and I see his eyes droop
apparently there are other snacks
better than a nap
to this gray nose

the dog star

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one night
a star catches his eye
it looks like one of those tiny flashing things
that are loud and fly over the house
and must be caught and destroyed
he barks and shakes his brown head, ball hanging on for dear life
you get that plane, Koda bear

the humans laugh
it’s the dog star, babe
he’s barking at the dog star

maybe he makes a wish:

oh, your great wolfyness
(bark, growl)
make it so
every night is ball night
with four meals a day
instead of just two
and make the bunnies easy to chase
and the neighbors love on us everytime we see them
and make it so every day is a snow day
but also with mud
and water to splash in
and the bed is never off limits ever
and the humans never have to leave us

and the humans think:
don’t leave me
let them run under your skies forever

skier

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I hate that critics
will chip away
at her story
like she’s an old stone
dripping alone
on the side of that hill

they’ll belittle
the dos and don’ts
of a woman’s choice
at forty one
a professional in her field

she shouldn’t have done it
she wanted the impossible
what did she expect
they’ll sigh
it wasn’t meant to be
trying to fly

maybe someday
they’ll see
the hope
the bravery
the dream
that it wasn’t just about a busted knee
so much courage and the will to be
that inspired others on that mountain

The last two weeks been recovering from covid. 😭 Finally on the mend and enjoying watching the winter Olympics. 🥇

This one was inspired by Lindsay Vonn’s recent try at a come back. Her crash brought me to tears. I love the stories we get from the games. The glimpses we get of the journey. How hard it is. How rewarding. Even heart breaking. It’s so human and I feel so awed and inspired by the athletes who have such incredible courage and heart and the will to try the impossible.

AJM

night walk

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the chill air laps at noses
and it slobbers on paws
and there, a silver sliver moon
during our evening walk

icy puddles shine like diamonds
the ‘don’t-walk-here’ mirror
an owl hoots nearby
come here, come here

the shush-shush of snow on boots
and the sound of passing cars
me: you’re barking at nothing!

no–we’re barking at the stars!

hah. I’m proud of my little sketch. I’m trying to get better. Bought some watercolor supplies the other day.
January almost done! I hope you all have a great week!

AJM

rock star

/ Ajmorse / 2 Comments

is there nothing sadder
than a star
that used to shine

she was a rock star, baby
she sang about being
fine, fine, fine

now she’s in her fifties
her fans have all moved on
she dances alone up the street now

and no one knows her song

shine on, baby girl
she sings
know the stars
that don’t know you

reach for that inky dark
that unfathomable,
impossible blue

shine on, baby, girl
she croons
know the stars
that don’t know you

shine on
she whispers to the dark

her bare feet are turning blue

Have you ever been instantly proud of something you’ve written? That’s how I feel with this one. It started off much different. I wrote it last week. Then I found it again tonight and it all came together. It’s something like magic when words piece themselves together in your mind. It is a bit euphoric. I can’t quite describe it…maybe like how an artist must feel when the right brushstroke hits the canvas, or like a when a composer discovers the right note for a song? (Big, happy, sigh). I could go on, but it is feeling a bit long-winded already, hah.

This one was inspired by a show that I watched, or maybe it was a song. Not sure.

I hope you have a great week,

AJM