Family Movies

On the DVD, I’m topless

And relaxing in the pool

With a metal bucket in my hand,

Too young for ridicule.

While in other scenes I toddle

Or get jiggled for a smile

And I get to rock some outfits

Showing off a sense of style.

“Family Movies” is the title

Put together by my bro.

What a kick to see some relatives,

Their younger selves aglow.

All my grands and even Zaide*

Plus my uncles and my aunts

Laugh and mug so that the camera

Can record each circumstance…

While, along with several cousins,

I clap hands or sit and stare

At the future that awaits us,

Of which we are unaware.

*Yiddish for grandfather but in this

case, my great-grandfather (pronounced

“Zay-dee”)

The Leos in my Life

There are many Leos in my life

With August birthday dates.

We sang to Hadley for today,

Her 5^th she celebrates.

On Saturday, my husband’s day,

He’ll say he’s 53,

Just like he’s done for many years,

But that’s okay with me.

My favorite aunt turns 92

On Tuesday of next week.

This year we cannot visit but,

Like every day, we’ll speak.

A cousin and a nephew also

Share the Leo sign,

As well as 2 close buddies,

Dear and precious friends of mine.

I’m not a fan of horoscopes

But still, I must admit,

These Leos, with my Aries,

Seem to be a perfect fit.

Counting

My mother counted meatballs

As she plunked them in the pot.

When I exercise, I count each rep

So I know what is what.

We’ve been told to count our blessings

And, of course, to count the change.

Counting sheep to an insomniac

Would surely not seem strange.

A dieter counts calories.

(For that, please count me out.)

A KO’d boxer hears the count

And knows he’s lost, no doubt.

A countdown at a launch pad

Lets us know that blast off’s near

And the thought that counts reminds us

What we want might not appear.

If you’re counting on an ending

To this little counting spree

Then don’t worry since you know that you

Can always count on me.

To Do a Thing

How hard it is to do a thing,

No matter what it is.

Determination sometimes fizzles,

Losing all its fizz.

To tackle a new project or

To make some kind of change

Requires the kind of energy

That might seem out of range.

How simple it appears to be

To leave things as they are,

No need to tap into

The perseverance reservoir.

Though life at such a standstill’s

Crying out to be cajoled,

The effort to improve it’s

Much too easy to withhold.

Bodies

Sit outside in summer,

Watch the bodies passing by;

Fat and skinny, in-between,

But one or two – oh, my!

Sculpted to perfection

Like a fitness magazine,

Muscles glowing with a healthy

Exercisey sheen.

Male and female both attract

Some well-deserving stares

For, in truth, nobody has

A body that compares.

Wonder how it feels to be

That body on display

And how much effort went

Into it looking quite that way.

Cassette Tape

My brother found an old cassette

Recorded several weeks

Before our father died and yes,

My dad both laughs and speaks.

There was no voicemail then and so

My mother did record

A little message; thereby

Both their voices have been stored.

My mom talks first, with updates

On my father’s health; I’d bet

They had no clue how dire

The situation soon would get.

A visit to the doctor next;

My dad was short of breath.

In three weeks’ time, we’d get the call

To tell us of his death.

Despite today’s technology

And knowledge we’ve amassed,

What’s magical to me is hearing

Voices from the past.

National Girlfriend Day

A lot of made-up holidays

Deserve, perhaps, a shrug.

Today, though, in pandemic times,

We all could use a hug.

So to thank my special girlfriends,

Here’s a distanced-hug in rhyme.

Relationships may vary but

I hope you know that I’m…

More grateful for your friendship

Than my actions sometimes show.

My appreciation’s deeper

Than you’ll ever really know.

On this day to honor girlfriends,

Though we’re miles and months apart,

Each of you has staked a claim within

The confines of my heart.