once again cold and tired

I feel old
like creaky leather
an ancient crone
in freezing weather

tomorrow’s Monday
another battle
snow in the forecast
hear my bones a’ rattle

I feel all dried up
earth turned to dust
like a beat-up car
that’s begun to rust

the world has tipped
and warmth is lost
winter bites with hunger
and drools with frost


I was not made for a world of snow and ice. My feet freeze and I need sunshine. If it weren’t for family, I’d live near a beach somewhere. I hope you are all well.

AJM

flying south

the geese are flying
i watch them pass overhead
they’re heading south for winter
to be somewhere warm instead

i hear them before i see them
honking in the cloud-filled sky
the snap of the air tells them
its that time of the year to fly

my dog Koda woos and barks
when he hears them flying low
they’re heading someplace new now
i look up and watch them go

I accidentally went MIA again…just been busy at work. Everything is just exhausting lately.

AJM

Chocolate and Butterscotch

To be read as if narrated by David Attenborough

two large
pound cakes

a chocolate
and a butterscotch

wait for more
cakes of their own

disappointed
and convinced that
the next five minutes
are essential to their rate of survival

the cakes keel over
and in a weakened state

they slip into oblivious sleep
and start to snore

Our buds: Koda (chocolate lab) and Teddy (the golden)

the slipper

he woos, a muffled woo
my slipper stuffed far in his mouth
I pat his brown fur and laugh out loud
and tug it loose
naughty bear
he wags his tail

someday
my slippers will be dry
and right where I left them
and I can’t tell you how much
that breaks my heart

picture for cuteness. Koda bear ❤

Hi friends,

I accidentally went MIA these past few weeks. We went on vacation about mid-August, and well, pretty much hit the ground running once we got back. I can’t believe summer is about over 😫

AJM

security blanket

the neighbor’s dogs

didn’t want it

our golden retriever

didn’t either

but every night

our chocolate lab

carries it off the deck

brown and half-deflated

faded from the sun

it enjoys the ride

out into the yard

Koda’s ears perk up

his stance, square and at the ready

something snaps in the woods

he shakes his head

and growls with enthusiasm

the basketball shakes to and fro

it’s a good feeling

to be needed

at the fair

the chickens open their beaks

in a silent squawk

feathered bodies pant

melt and puddle

over wood shavings

the young girl pours water

into the tray in the cages corner

“Jessica needs more water”

“I’m so nervous”

“First place, master showman, I can’t believe it”

off in the corner

several family members

wait and melt in a hundred degrees

with love and pride dripping down their foreheads

and flies batting at their knees

as an adult

when i was little
i had someone tell me
“don’t be so eager to grow up”

i’ve had others judge me
like growing up was a competition
that i would fail at

and while i feel old and young
than i ever did before
it doesn’t change
the sadness that overwhelms me

growing up is over with
being an adult
happens now
and i
don’t
want
it