Saturday, December 31, 2011

Dec 30 - Dinner at Ulla


Two old friends, much wine
And a marvelous dinner
at their daughter's place

Friday, December 30, 2011

Dec 29 - Hasta La Vista, Dear Ian


My friend, this can't be
the final conversation
Too much left to say

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Dec 28 - Emptying


New spaces revealed
Walls bare, furniture missing
As though we're fading

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Dec 27 - Late Christmas with the Up-Island Gang


No one would suggest
That my family is quiet
Once the red wine flows

Monday, December 26, 2011

Dec 26 - Man, I Used to Love Stat Holidays


It's wrong to work on
Boxing Day, but so it goes
when you're self-employed

Dec 25 - A Sentimental Time


Champagne for breakfast
Cinnamon buns, a few tears
My kind of Christmas

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Dec 24 - The Shopping Spirit Overloads the System


Nobody's happy
When the bank machines break down
In the grocery line

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Dec 23 - A Late(ish) Night on the Accordion


How is it he sleeps
Through the sounds of squeeze box and
me, mere feet away?

Friday, December 23, 2011

Dec 22 - Cultural Gaps at the Christmas Singalong


We launch into a
song about six white boomers
The Aussies look blank

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Dec 21 - Wrapping Up These Years Here


Three coffee dates, one
flash mob, a vigil and lunch
So many goodbyes

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Dec 20 - Kassie's Eggnog Party


Big house, perfect tree
We sing songs and eat too much
Buoyed by the season

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Dec 19 - Sometimes Family Dinners Aren't Fun


Beware of gifts from
people who keep score. You will
always owe something

Monday, December 19, 2011

Dec 18 - I Give a Christmas Reading


Christ Church Cathedral:
Even an atheist feels
God in this moment

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Dec 17 - Marching for Sex Workers' Rights


Our red umbrellas
Brighten the streets as we pass
Sunshine on our songs

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Dec 16 - Marion's Dog Comes to Work


I usually forget
the names of people's dogs, but
not you, Joshua

Friday, December 16, 2011

Dec 15 - Should Have Picked an Action Flick


Movie night at last
How to know that "J. Edgar"
Would put me to sleep?

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Dec 14 - Back to Work on Insufficient Sleep


A day of meetings
Was probably a mistake
On a jet-lagged brain

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Dec 13 - The Cuso Diaspora


Funny how five days
Can connect you to people
Safe travels, SKWID pals

Monday, December 12, 2011

Dec 12 - Maybe This is a Cuso Test


Ghosts in the machine
Toilets down, dishwasher lost
Hey, we can manage

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Dec 10 - My Brain Hurts


What is it about
a day of hard thinking that
wears a person out?

Friday, December 9, 2011

Dec 9 - The Start of Our Group Training Session


We're like wary cats
when we first meet, but by lunch
we're making farm sounds

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Dec 8 - Five Days in Ottawa


I look for skaters
on the Rideau Canal, but
it's too warm for that


Dec 7 - No Secrets Anymore


The word is out now
It spread like fire on Facebook
Have you heard? They're gone

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Dec 6 - Am I Making Headway?


The desk went today
Two dressers, the stereo
All gone. So much left

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Dec 5 - The To-Do List Grows Exponentially


A thousand thoughts bounce
loose in my brain, leaving me
with no room to think

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Dec 4 - Owen's First and Last Visit to Cyber City


He doesn't like the
Hurricane Simulator.
Not too surprising

Dec 3 - A Grandparent Weekend in Nanaimo


We are veterans
of cheapish hotel rooms stuffed
with hyped-up young boys

Dec 2 - On the Drive to Courtenay


The crows were flying
upside down today, wings spread
to catch the sunshine

Friday, December 2, 2011

Dec 1 - A Peculiar But Moving Event


Who could plan to spend
World AIDS Day making music
to lift the sorrow?

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Nov 30 - Champagne at Sarah's


We toast to changes
- houses sold, new adventures,
eight cats down to six

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Nov 29 - Endless Hours of Spanish Talk Radio


Strange words slip past me
I am the RCA dog
Head tipped, not a clue

Nov 28 - Too Cold to Bend My Knees


I'm like the Tin Man
on my morning run, my joints
stiff from winter's cold

Monday, November 28, 2011

Nov 27 - Cleaning Out the Cupboards


Funny, I always
Wanted better plates than these
Glad to see them go

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Nov 26 - My First Breathalyzer


The officer smells
booze, and won't believe it's Paul
Blow, he says. I pass.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Nov 25 - The Social Season Picks Up Steam


Number two of three
Three! social invitations
Paul is unhappy

Friday, November 25, 2011

Nov 24 - Sheltering From the Storm at Sandra's Condo


High above the street
The wind howls without a sound
Rain is a concept

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Nov 23 - If Only PEERS Had a Better Heating System


The smiles, the caring
Sure, I'll remember all that
But mostly, the cold

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Nov 21 - The Piano Moves to Jason and Grace's House


The piano blues
Pass through me for a moment
But they don't last long

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Nov 20 - At the Mall with Colleen


There's only one friend
Who I could spend two hours with
Shopping for makeup

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Nov 19 - My Kinsmen Park Run


Frost lingers in the
shady spots, where winter's slow
sun has yet to reach

Nov 18 - The Really Loud Girl Party


Nights like this are for
extroverts. An introvert
just wants to go home

Friday, November 18, 2011

Nov 17 - At My Lesson


Hablamos para
dos horas; escucho con
mucha atencion

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Nov 16 - A Visit to a Lawyer


We talk about wills
And I find it comforting
Death needs planning too

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Nov 15 - A Letter Arrives from UVic


They're going to give me
An honorary degree
For once, I'm speechless

Nov 14 - Tallying the Cost of My Big Mistake


Funny how someone
As cautious as me could be
Trapped in a friend's debt

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Nov 13 - Raking in the Rain


The lawn is awash
in yellow leaves, shaken loose
by wind and season

Nov 12 - A New Travel Companion


She is a sexy
little thing, my beautiful
red accordion

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Nov 11 - A Remembrance Day Ritual


My dad liked this day
Mom listens to his taped voice
To remember him