3WW: Buckle, Evade, Wedge

I caught the pink wedge
of dawn with my camera
this morning.

Our cold northern sky
was trying hard to evade
the sun

but, for a few minutes
it peeked through
with fiery eyes.

Then, the gray clouds
buckled back up
to the mountains.

But, it's okay
because, upstairs
my granddaughter

sleeps. I can't wait
for her to rise. I'll have
sunshine all day.

Big Tent Poetry: Wordle

Christmas died for me
the day our tree toppled over.

Erin and I had lugged
the decorations from the basement

and were hard at work
turning our living room

into a magical fairyland.
I was holding Erin up

so she could place the angel
on the top when she leaned

too far, grabbed the branches
to steady herself, couldn't stop,

and all three of us landed in a heap
of broken ornaments and fir needles.

After making sure she was okay,
we started over again but it was

just a performance. My Christmas
spirit became slighter and slighter

and by the time Erin hung the last
ornament, it had vanished altogether.

I swept it up along with the debris
and dropped it into the trash.

3WW: Educate, Object, Silence

The object for today
our last day of school
before Christmas vacation:
Make it through!

Directive from the principal:
educate them!
So, I choose a movie
with a loose tie to Shakespeare's

Taming of the Shrew.
I prepare them by giving them
a synopsis of the play
then have them analyze

Sonnet 141, which is in the movie.
Finally I put it on
and the kids are tickled
to see 10 Things I Hate About You

on the screen. I watch it all day
over and over and over.
Finally, the bell rings
and the kids leave: silence!

December for Sunday Scribblings, Stillness for One Single Impression

December Stillness

I wake up early
and cleave my way
through the thick,
black morning

on this, one of the shortest
days of the year.
I glance outside
and the street light

illuminates the fresh
inch of snow we received
during the night.
I have laundry to do,

gifts to wrap,
a floor to wash,
papers to correct.
But, I sit

in my La Z Boy
and watch the neighbor's
chimney breathe.
I glance up

at the white bread
of the sky. I glance
down at the white
bread of the snow.

Then just sit
in the still sandwich
of a December
dawn.

Limits for Sunday Scribblings

Limits

I stand on the scale
in our school nurse's
office and hold my breath

hoping to weigh less
than last week. I'm
participating in our

version of The Biggest Loser
challenge. It's a support
group for those of us

who want to control
our weight. The nurse
asks what my goal

is for this the next eight
weeks. I'd like to lose ten
pounds and I could do it

but I know I'd put it right
back on. So, instead I say,
“Two pounds.” The nurse

looks at me with a funny look
on her face. “I know it's not
much” I say defensively.

“But, it's doable and I know
my limits.” I glance down
and see that I've lost

a pound since last week's
weigh-in. I smile all the way
to the lunch room.