January
01 Friday
Neutral
The rain thunders hard
but my impatience is louder.
A new year dawns gray.
Austin, TX
Robert Rodriguez
new Heroes movie for kids.
A four-year old loves it.
Live, die, repeat
Edge of Tomorrow,
reset the day when you die.
Smart science fiction
Columbia
A walk on river
fast rain, fast water, fast kids.
Dance no matter what.
Beginning
Don’t want to be so sad
the memories and the dreams
can overwhelm me.
Deep
He wakes in the night,
screaming, mad at me, his dad.
Wants only his mom.
Walk
Walk him to the couch
the purple couch; they will nurse.
Finished Queen’s Gambit.
WWF
They pile on me.
Squirming bodies and sharp limbs.
Might break me…but fine.
PTO
Big discouragement
does not take off holidays.
Ya gotta battle.
Countess
She will fall asleep
and I will watch something mine,
such as The Whistlers.
Thoughts
I will lie in bed
thinking of our four children.
Let me improve, God.
One.
The Girl, fierce.
Time is autobahn fast.
Let me slow things down.
Teen
She’s thirteen? they ask.
You let her drink coffee yet?
That is between us.
Two
The Boy, my patience
stretches, bends, breaks, elastic.
His grin, I love him.
Three
A Boy, song and dance.
Poetry and diapers still.
Wants Mum to lay by.
Four
A Boy, a year old?
Fourteen versions of concern
he can express well.
Her
My Bride, blonde shell bomb.
Atomic with love and sass.
She, me, play and work.
Teen, II
Laid by her in dark
my teen, our first-born child.
Breathing beautiful.
Non-linear
I try to improve.
It’s really hard on some days.
Breathe, step, more coffee.
02 Shabbat
Independence
The boys make breakfast
They have fun; make it messy.
I will do cleanup.
Influence
Rachel Held Evans
Brilliant, died young, tragedy.
Her Faith book helps me.
Friends
When you start to drown,
some will give a hand, or both.
Others will just watch.
Gauntlet
Kids on Zoom meeting.
But my pants, across the room…
…someone, bring them now!
Tragicomic
Water in speaker
One-year old waters music.
Something else to fix.
Weather
The day is so wet
so we should hike together.
To the Gorge we go.
Chill
Two point five miles
to a waterfall picnic.
Food’s better outside.
Journey
We drive in our car;
the driving is part of it.
Convo, music, sleep.
Crank(y)
Neil Young on drive home:
”Let’s impeach the President”
Different guy, now worse.
Knaves
Ocean’s 11
on a cold Saturday night.
Cool, stylish, good thieves.
03
Turnover
Sundays can be hard.
Beginning of new cycle.
Hamster wheel week?
Grid
Waffles in the morn.
Made by Becc and a big boy,
with some nuts and love.
Perfection
Trump’s hour phone call
to Florida Sec. of State:
”Find me some more votes!”
Tuck-in
Thirty-five minutes
lying with a loud four-year old:
”Not you, get Mama!”
Olders
“Just a little Psych?!”
After Youngers are asleep.
Viewing bond with them.
Psych
Gus and Shawn, buddies,
male models, a murder.
We laugh together.
05 Tuesday
Microscope
Bank statement with Mom,
early morning financials.
Money forensics.
M.I.A.
My Air Pods missing.
Funny, cordless luxury;
can’t find anywhere.
Glasvegas
A song : No Widows.
so heartbreakingly pretty.
Night driving classic.
07 Thursday
Munch
A man screams quite loud.
Earsplitting, wakes the dead fast.
He is one year old.
Pandemic hello
Ding dong, doorbell rings.
A surprise drop-by visit.
Convo on the porch.
101
Mrs. C deVille
My daughter, playing a cruel role.
Mean, sassy, so fun.
Guest post : 13-year old
Cruella Deville
played her in improv, fun.
Evil dog killer
Went on a short walk
didn’t get murdered by cows,
so that was a plus.
To the nines
She leaves for meeting
looking so pretty, so fine.
Wearing her slippers.
In this family
A quiet supper
plays same role mastodons do:
there is no such thing.
Comfort
Hand down mom’s boob.
It is his thing; so jealous.
Maybe I should too.
08 Friday
A song
Black Country, New Road
Claud, per Becca recommend;
rainy drive to work.
11 Monday
Reality
They call me ‘Goat Dad.’
Greatest of All Time, I think.
No, Goat Dad, she says.
Half a skill
“I am very good,”
he says with zest, “at throwing.”
”Yes,” I say, “catching?”
13 Wednesday
Justice
Second impeachment
No one deserves more than Trump.
Also Cruz, Hawley.
Breach
Repubs abandon
Floodgates open
But can’t rewrite history.
Coward
Yes, worst Present ever.
No democratic leader.
Selfish, little man.
History
The names recorded
of those who vote and support
Trump over country.
Noodles (a question, a statement)
What’s for lunch? she says.
Looks at stove, sighs, says deadpan:
Wonder what’s for lunch.
Thank you, Republican
Jaime H. Beutler
our local Congresswoman.
Yes for impeachment.
Hypocrite
Kevin McCarthy
Cal. Rep invokes Abe Lincoln.
”Unity” mantra.
Bliss
He looks so happy
for no reason? or maybe…
he’s peeing in the bath.
Message
Election challenge:
if you supported that poop,
I vote against you.
Hypocrisy
“Unity, come together!”
GOP message.
Their words are hollow.
15 Friday
A song
“My Favorite Things;”
he glides around, singing soft.
And sometimes quite loud.
Om
Cosmic yoga cool.
Four year old follows along.
It’s his ritual.
Nap
He leads me by hand
down hallway to get blanket
and rests head on me.
Lotsa sax
Coltrane on Friday
we draw our favourite things.
Saxophone master.
Wrong again
“No,” I said firmly,
”L’il Wayne doesn’t support Trump.”
But my son was right.
McArthur
We erupt in cheers:
Mom’s home; she lights up our lives.
And brings groceries.
Countess Chef
Chop chop slice dice peel.
Yum, sweet potato curry.
Best supper ever.
16 Shabbat
Guest haiku : Becca
"Start again"
Sunday vibes with food
our bed was full of humans
please be a good one.
Breakfast
Becca’s oatmeal
handmade, with love, in oven,
and squirts of whip cream.
Gorge
Hike to Duncan Creek.
Five children fjording big streams.
Electricity.
Tragic
Rachel Held Evans:
we listened to her last podcast.
Christian example.
1820
Film about friendship
Old West, two guys, baking, cow
Slow, sad, beautiful.
17 Sunday
Guest haiku : a 10-year old
"Sunday news"
Phil has died.
he was in bars due to this:
murder of an actress.
Guest haiku : a 13-year old
“Why are Sundays so depressing?”
Fog blankets the earth
Star Wars with Ejvy : New Hope
Tofu and taters
Guest rhyme : a 4-year old
"Wog Wog"
We went up the ball, he fell.
Xiomara went up a hill, she fell off a bike.
She bumped into a bunch of oatmeal and got mixed.
Guest haiku : 10-year old
"Imprison"
Phil Spector has died
due to natural causes.
He died in prison.
Guest rhyme : a 4-year old
"Aunty Lanessa”
Yeebie yawbie
Lanessa standed on a sheet
Then she fell off a table.
Dot dot.
The end.
Guest haiku : a 10-year old
"Share"
Xio and Phil share.
Their hair. They both have cool hair.
Oh…and Phil Spector died.
My niece
Stoic toothy grin
lots of words like “hi!”and “wow!”
such a fussy thing.
Guest haiku : Becca
Niece on her day
color sweaters on the three
she ate cake ho hum.
Guest haiku : a 10-year old
"Birthday party and death day party"
Xio’s birthday thing
Cousin, Cousin, Cousin there
Oh…and Spector died.
Guest haiku : the same 10-year old
Xiomara ate cake
Cake she ate not on the plate
Oh…and Spector died.
(note : the first line is six syllables, Ding-Dong)
Guest haiku : anonymous 10-year old
"Books"
My favorite books.
Fahrenheit 451,
plus Lord of the Flies.
Daddy says we can
break laws of poetry so…
oh…and Spector died.
Stomp
Clap clap stomp stomp clap
he stomp-clap shuffles around
10-year old music man.
Guest haiku : a 10-year old
"Tim and Phil"
Ma wants to see him.
Uncle Tim, that one, yes.
Phil Spector has passed.
Guest haiku : a 10-year old
"Tim"
Ma really, really
would like to see Uncle Tim.
She is dying to.
Guest haiku : 10-year old
"Randy"
Told Ma about Quaid:
his tweet about missing Don.
She said awwww, sad.
21 Thursday
Blow
I stepped into sun
but the wind tore breath from me.
My brittle skin cracks.
Go team!
I make the kids draw.
Three minutes! I say, go now!
Good competition.
Goodnight ritual
“Blanket coverer!”
she calls me in; “that’s your job!”
my thirteen-year old.
Love
I grab her hips fast,
straddle her legs up on me
in kitchen; kids laugh.
Ex-Pres
George W. Bush:
He paints now, my son told us,
“…and some of it’s good.”
23 Shabbat
Sue
She is sixty-eight.
She makes all around better.
My mom; to many.
25 Monday
Organics
I help with Science.
Photosynthesis is cool.
Carb-di, water, light.
The Help
Two boys who draw hard.
Flurry of grand marker strokes.
Laundry is a beast.
Symphony Circus
Voices overlap.
Lots and lots, they rise and fall.
Noise can be music.
27 Wednesday
D.O.A.
Last night there was snow.
the temperature went up.
The snow, it is dead now.
29 Friday
No, no, no
A deer, dead by road.
Morning passes; thing is…
she’s not fully dead.
The crew
Russian window guys
work hard, work fast, take no breaks.
Very expensive.