Thursday, August 21, 2025

The Silver





There is a silver plated pitcher next to my laptop.

I dug it out of the bottom of a cabinet

It’s at least 77 years old,

Part of the silver service my mother got for her wedding,

At least I think it is, it has a big F engraved on it,

Her maiden name was Fisher but

Her married name started with an A.

I played with this silver service when I was a kid

I particularly loved the top of the sugar bowl,

It looked like a big busty lady with a voluminous skirt,

I called her Cinderella.

My sister wants us to collect the set and sell it.

Outside on the front stoop,

Neighbors are threatening to beat up my crazy landlord

But I’m thinking of Cinderella

While the world burns.

Dance, Cinderella, dance!

It’s almost midnight.

 




Monday, August 11, 2025

A Prayer for the Troops

 




If the troops are sent to my town
I will pray
That the soldiers declare,
“This is our city
This is our state
And we say

No to bullies
No to liars
No to racists
No to corruption 
No to billionaires 
No to fascism

We are not yours to order!
We belong to our communities,
They are us and
We will not herd them
We will not arrest them 
We will not shoot them. 

We are free
And we say NO. “
This will be my prayer ,
May we all be safe. 
May it be so. 
Amen