it’s the time of year
just about
where hope and joy
fizzles out
i’m draining onto
a dirty ground
like a lost set of keys
never found
there’s no end here
i’ll walk forever
awake no longer
and sleeping never
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
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
shark week
in the silent
inky darkness
something surges
from the deep
predator
turned prey
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
gloom and doom
even my favorite parts
of Summer
can’t will away the feeling
we’re all barreling
towards a cliff
with an obvious end
ADHD
and just like that
my thoughts disappear
they’ve gone somewhere
no longer here
I’d pull them back
if I could
my brain a block of solid wood
there’s no squish here
all grain and seed
maybe I should read
or was there something that I need
One thought, then the next, they bleed
meeting roadblocks and potholes
of ADHD
In case you missed it…new poetry book “Remnants” to be published December 2025!
This project is coming along!
This will be a collection of new material from the last few years exploring the ‘what’s been left behind’ from my college years, who I am now and the joys and struggles of being an adult. There are themes of feminism, mental health, self-doubt…and some silly poems about the weather, of course.
There will be more posts about this project later on in the next few months.
In case you missed it, my other poetry book, Walking in Cemeteries, can be found on Amazon here.
another playtime
the wind sighs through the window
a gust of promises
smelling like a friend
our chocolate lab lifts his graying muzzle to it
soft ears blown back
he breathes deep
there’s no telling
what secrets
the wind whispers to him
maybe it says, come and play
our golden retriever crouches low
the sunlight catches his fur like liquid gold
he wiggles his butt again and then
they’re off!
A. J. Morse 