Twenty-One Envelopes

Inside the box were twenty cards
To send to twenty friends
Or any folk to whom your wish
For festive joy extends.

But when I filled them out and they
Were signed and stamped and sealed,
I realized that the box had
One more envelope to yield.

It wasn’t a surprise, for it’s
Been just that way for years,
Though recently some companies
Have started switching gears.

The extra envelope is there
In case you make a goof
When writing an address;
Just start again and there’s no proof.

I guess the manufacturers
Thought little of our skill
To copy an address, but I
Their image won’t fulfill.

And so I have a drawer that’s full
Of envelopes galore.
I’m set for life if extras
Aren’t added anymore.

To Recommend

I’m wary when I recommend
A restaurant or show.
Because I like it doesn’t mean
That’s where you’d want to go.

The same applies to movies
Or museums or hotels.
Our tastes may be so different
They’re not even parallels.

And as for docs and dentists,
There could always be a chance
You might have an outcome that would
Make you look at me askance.

If you ask for my opinions,
Take them with a grain of salt
So if you hate my suggestions
Then, at least, it’s not my fault.

Baking Cookies

I made the dough and let it set
For hours in the fridge,
Then rolled it out and cut the shapes
And added just a smidge

Of colored sugar on the tops.
Then while one batch was baking,
I started on another,
An enormous undertaking.

In fact, as time ticked by I felt
Exhausted; you may laugh
Because I had four balls of dough,
But only finished half.

My stopping in the middle really
Wasn’t a mistake,
For baking when you’re older means
You’ve gotta take a break!

An Afternoon of Mah Jongg

We catch up on our travels
And our families and homes.
(Not everyone’s on Facebook
Or reveals such stuff in poems.)

The lives we live are parallel
Though sometimes they converge;
So when they do, on food
And conversation we do splurge.

The game is incidental;
Still, we try to do our best
But even if we lose all day,
It doesn’t make us stressed.

An afternoon of mah jongg
Fills the room with clacking tiles.
More  important are the faces
Of the players, filled with smiles.

Today

Today I did some shopping
And my exercise as well.
I visited my kids and saw
The grands, for just a spell.

An ordinary Sunday, but
For one thing on my mind –
This date’s the one on which my dad
Left earthly life behind.

It happened many years ago
But when this day rolls ‘round,
A sadness fills my heart that is
Both subtle and profound.

Yet all I thought about
While every hour slipped on by
Was that now, today, some other people’s
Dads will also die.

Snowing

It’s snowing and blowing;
Anxiety’s growing.
The sidewalks and roads may be slick.
I’m waiting, equating
My fear’s escalating
With how much these flakes seem to stick.

The trees, as they freeze
Look so pretty, they please
Every eye that takes time in observing.
Those who rush through the slush
Miss a picture so plush
It’s a pity, though they’re not deserving.

As hours devour
The day’s waning power,
I gaze out the window and worry,
But bearing despairing
At least isn’t sparing
The beauty that’s born from this flurry.

Bouncing

Give a kid a trampoline
And instantly she's bouncing
With joy that far exceeds
Whatever game her jumps are trouncing.

A little music makes the fun,
If possible, much better.
If you've a child who wants to try,
Don't hesitate - just let 'er!

For glee is hard to come by
As we age and fear starts showing
So it's best to seek occasions
That will set most grins to glowing.

In this spirit I am writing,
Which is my way of announcing,
That to make your charges happy,
Find a gym and get them bouncing!