Thanksgiving in Haiku

Turkey, stuffing, rice
Wine and coffee to wash it down
Then it's time for pie.

Preparation means
Several days of cooking
Cleaning and and the rest.

When we're done eating,
The leftovers in the fridge,
The coffee beckons.

Stinky HTML.

That HTML

Keeps on running my Haiku

Series together.

I put paragraph

Breaks in between each stanza

But they still stay stuck!

So, HTML,

When will you let me do this

Right without cursing?

Spring Break R & R

Relaxation is

The true meaning of spring break

Sit down and relax.

Renewal can be

The other part of this time

So get to work now!

I cleared the garden soil,

Moved the cages and trellis'

Enough for today.

Back to relaxing.

Reading blogs, Plurk, and Twitter;

Laptop is my friend.

Battle

The invader is armed with
Viral strength
Gripping power
Knowledge of my vulnerabilities and
my stress-weakened immune system.

My defenses are limited.
Waterbottle mixed with Airborne.
Neti pot.
Extra vitamin C.
A nap.
Determination.

Heating pad for my aches,
Anti-inflammatories to lessen the fever and soreness
Apple cider with cinnamon stick for comfort and hope --
Hope for a good night's rest to re-energize and fight the invader again tomorrow.

Spring Fever

When will spring break come?

My students are ready now.

So, also, am I.

Where I'm From

(inspired by a post at The Little Egg Farm)


I'm from city sidewalks, the kind that need shoveling in winter and grow hot enough to blister bare feet in summer.

I'm from four distinct seasons. I'm from vehicles with heat and air-conditioning, in a climate where both need to be in working order.

I'm from trees of all sizes, giving shade in summer, giving leaves in autumn and if we're lucky, maple sap for sugar and syrup in spring. I'm from climbing thick branches, seeing old behemoths fall in storms to become fuel for the fireplace around which we gather.

I'm from snowmen, snow angels, and dangling icicles, spreading rock salt and litter and sand when walking becomes precarious. I'm from mittens and boots, gloves and scarves, lined jackets thick enough to withstand any wind.

I'm from earth such rich, dark brown it's almost black, grass so very green when it rains, and flowers of every hue; fresh vegetables in August, rhubarb from the freezer in January, and homegrown basil and thyme in pots on the piano all year round.

I'm from chalkboards, pencils, and multi-colored pens. I'm from reusing papers and copying half sheets on the back of old pages. I'm from books to read, stories to write, experiments to explore.

I'm from the arts, music, drama, storytelling, and the multitudes of venues for self-expression.

I'm from song and dance, stage and scenery, prose and poetry. I'm from rhythm and rhyme, andante to allegro, opera to jazz, vocal to orchestral to symphonic brass.

I'm from the land of Green and Gold, a home with at least one headpiece made of "cheese," and Sunday afternoons spent with the big screen TV tuned to Lambeau Leaps at the not-so Frozen Tundra.

I'm from a homeland where hearing, seeing, and neurotypical development are never taken for granted.

I'm from a land where all the women are strong, the men are good-looking, and the children are above average. Wait - strike that, it's one state to the west of mine.

But I am from a changing and evolving local culture, a place where family counts, a neighborhood where neighbors share their cookies and coffee. It's a great place to visit, and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

A Very Special Author

originally posted in March 2007; originally published in WSRA Journal in 1997

When we were young
And could pick up a book,
A man with a gift
Made us all take a look

At a cat with a mission,
A feline with style,
Dressed up in a hat
With a hint of beguile.

The cat made us smile,
The Grinch brought a tear.
While the Whos down in Whoville
Inspired a cheer.

Those red fish and blue fish
Or green eggs and ham
The Star Bellied Sneetches
And that Sam-I-Am

The poor little boy
Wearing five hundred hats
Got caught in the oobleck
That fell and went splat.

His stories had morals,
Were strong with conviction,
Even though written
As young readers' fiction.

A clear point of view,
The compassion he saw,
Like"...a person's a person,
No matter how small."

The elephant Horton
Who said what he meant,
That he could be faithful,
One hundred percent.

And think of the Lorax,
The one who said, "Please,
Oh, Please stop destroying
The Truffula Trees!"

His creatures were special,
Both comic and tragic,
Some small and some large,
With an aura of magic.

Think of the characters,
Ageless and timeless,
And how he could make
Something rhyme that seemed rhymeless!

The point of my story,
I'm sure you have reckoned,
Someone quite special
Was born on March second.

Creator of Yertle,
And Thidwick the Moose,
A talent unequaled:
The dear Dr. Seuss.

Friday before Valentine's Day

Valentine parties

In classes should be outlawed

Elementary.

Chocolate, sugar,

Lifesavers and nerds and those

Conversation hearts

Make fourth grade students

Resemble bouncing, flouncing

Rubber super balls.

Pink sunglasses on

My outlook becomes sunnier

So I keep them on.

I Eat Pizza (the dreaded IEP)

IEP Season
Fighting for what's right
In education.

Asperger's Syndrome
Doesn't doesn't make
Anything come easily.

Blindness means Braille books
And talking calculators
But Asperger's - What?

Here we go again
On the roller coaster ride
Of an IEP.