The Monkey Barrel

Archive for July, 2006

Threads of ivory wool
Passed through hands of steady grace
Woven heirloom full of dreams
Our afghan

A Christmas gift
In matrimonial infancy
Thankful tears shimmer
Twinkling in holiday glow

Swathed across the sofa back
A Frosty nights solace
Comfort for all ills
Company best for travelers

One by one
Infant sons are born
Wee hour feedings and cries
Soothed beneath the folds

Little boys playing
Fortress against evil
Draped ghosts haunt toddlers
Mummy children in fantastical pyramids

9 years of history threaded through
Washed in and out of thestrands
Holes worn in, but still it holds
Twined about our memories

Everyday around about 3
In the homecoming hour
They take a moment
Just to be
Two chairs in a shady spot
On the bank of the pond
Sipping tea, tasting sunshine
Dave and Martha linger
The view from my window
So sweet, so true
I can but hope that we
Will age in such grace

4 days ago it began
The coughing and sputtering
Tightened windpipes
Struglling for each breath
Time caught in the hold,
Agonizing for the exhale
Such a tiny little fighter
Laced up in asthmas grip
No mother could sleep
Timing every inhale
Feeling so helpless
To make him well
Trying every method
Pinning him down
Strapping a mask on
Whatever brings another breath
Torture for mother and child
Smiling doctors rankle
Normality to them
Hell for the ignorant
Finally, it breaks
Laboring relaxes
He can get air
And both breath, relief

Sunlight cascading
Amidst the thick summer leaves
No breathe of wind
To tremble the boughs
Radiance streaming
Through the window panes
A golden glow
In the still of the morn
A steaming cup
Coffee and cream
Mid-July I find the unexpected
Autumn in a mug

93 burnt degrees out
Fry the children
On a walk around the block
A ridiculous decision
Slather them in sunblock
Splash in an oversized
Birdbath for kids
And pick grass from wet toes
Early summer boredom
Friends are at camp
Or too busy
What to do, what to do