Poetry Aloud

I read a poem to my quilting class,

Which happens over Zoom.

It got a warm reception, so

They liked it, I’d assume.

 

I wrote it several weeks ago;

The topic: sewing curves,

Which even to a practiced quilter

Oftentimes unnerves.

 

It’s satisfying seeing

A reaction to my writing,

Since mostly, just my husband’s thoughts

Are those I am inviting.

 

While written comments gratify,

Like a fellow poet’s note,

A responsive audience can make

My spirits rise and float.

 

My quilting skills are modest,

Though they have improved with time,

But the talent I’m the proudest of

Is setting thoughts to rhyme.

Welcome Home

The roads are jammed; the traffic crawls

And rain clouds fill the sky.

The cars are crammed and, on the walls,

Graffiti passes by.

 

The cabbie shrugs, “That’s how it goes”

As we head slowly home,

The morning’s hugs, you might suppose

The highlight of the poem.

 

Yet sunny skies and swaying palms

Don’t equal paradise,

So don’t surmise that lifestyle calms,

Though while you’re there it’s nice.

 

New York has faults and though it’s true

That life here can be hard,

You can’t just waltz through what you do;

It’s tough in that regard.

 

For where you live is in your bones –

The good parts and the not,

So you forgive what causes moans

And deal with what you’ve got.

Walking the Lap Lane

 I don’t like to swim

So a swimmer I’m not,

But I am in Florida 

And it is hot!

While visiting friends,

We sat by the pool,

The sun beating down 

Where I’d sweat like a fool.

But I learned a new way 

To cool off, doing laps

By walking in water -

You’ve tried it, perhaps?

It felt so refreshing

And it could be seen

As a part of a person’s

Aerobic routine.

And the cherry on top

Is I got to replace

My pale New York complexion

With pink on my face.

Taking a Trip

Leaving home to take a trip

Invites a lot of stress

For whether things go just as planned 

Is anybody’s guess.

Within your comfort zone you know

The rules and the routines,

The details all at your command

With few surprising scenes.

Yet out of bounds all bets are off 

And so much can go wrong,

As unfamiliar routes demand

The proof that you belong.

It’s easier, of course, to stay

At home, without a doubt,

But there are times a different land

Is worth the getting out.

A Plane

I flew on a plane -

It was regular size

And far from a luxury jet.

If I had to guess,

I’d say 400 million

Could buy quite a few, I would bet.

With no royals on board,

We were packed in the rows 

And content with our pretzels and drinks.

Every passenger paid,

No corruption or bribes,

Which for Air Force One everyone thinks.

All the world is aghast

As Qatar worms its way 

Into He-Not-Worth Naming’s elite 

And Americans sigh

At another display 

Of democracy’s hapless defeat.

The Mall

For all of my shopping years I can recall,

I’d love spending time at a popular mall.

I’d go by myself or with family or friends 

And stay a few hours or more - it depends.

The stores were so varied and though I’d keep track,

My favorites were always there, luring me back.

When I’d need a break to the food court I’d head -

There were fries there and ice cream, that’s quite enough said!

I no longer shop like I used to and so

A mall is a place where I no longer go.

Yet recently, just to kill time, there I was

With my husband and talk about absence of buzz -

The place was a ghost town - the shops weren’t closed,

Which is what, in all honestly, we had supposed,

But there were so few people I can’t comprehend

How those stores stay in business with no one to spend.

It made me feel sad that a part of my life 

Has been severed as if with a surgical knife

For an Amazon search cannot equal at all

To the times I spent browsing all day at the mall.

Hip Hop Moves

 On the stage, the pre-teen girls 

Displayed their hip hop moves, 

As sequins sparkled while the dancers

Got into their grooves.

Though just a dress rehearsal,

Make-up gleamed on lips and eyes

And you could spot the older selves 

Their bodies did disguise.

Yet even with suggestive thrusts,

Their innocence shone through.

Of grown-up sexuality,

These girls had not a clue.

And that was wonderful to see,

Especially because 

My grandchild was among those dancers

Waiting for applause.