that's mrs. mediocrity to you

She lifted her face
to the moon
and sang the song
of soon be gone.

I stood before her
in a shivery bath
of shimmering light
as clouds rolled past
the face of night.

the sun always rises. you can pretend not to see it,
but even behind the blackest clouds, it is there.

if you aspire to excel at one thing, make it forgiveness.

all the things you’re going to do someday don’t exist.

every day, every dawn, is a gift. open it slowly,
savor the anticipation, play with the wrappings.

there is no better dance partner than the moon.

forward is the only direction.

build a house of hope and love, and you will
never need to fill it with things.

perfection is a burden best discarded.

be grateful, ever-so-grateful, for every breath you take.

your 737th kiss will be just as memorable as
your first, as long as you are paying attention.

an embrace is the best way to hold on.

doing nothing at all is the best form of busy.

sadness weighs the opposite of happiness,
and we need both to keep us grounded.

you can paint a picture with far less than 1000 words.

mother nature is the original caretaker of wonder.

never take anything for granted. however,
you will take everything for granted.

the caged bird sings because it sees that life goes on.

your heart is always your best feature.

there will never be enough time for anything,
but you can make time for what’s important.

laughter is the music of your soul.

tea is the elixir of life.

if what you really want to do is fly,
well, now, just look at all that sky.

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.p.s. the link party will be open until friday, feel free to join in at anytime!

.

::

living

life

one

dance step

at a

time

::

Also, if you haven’t already seen my invitation to join me
in celebrating life on Tuesday, November 27th, details are here

::

let it

all go

and

ride the wind

wherever

it takes

you

::

happy thanksgiving

::

you hold all life’s gifts in your heart

all folded up and tucked
into the tiniest of pockets
held in place with
a gilded button flap

and you might even
forget all about them
for years at a time

but then one day

a moment will come and
you will sit down
quietly
in some corner
somewhere
and

unbutton

unfold

unforget

everything you’ve ever known

hold it gently
in your palm

slowly
breathe life
back into
that tiny body

offer
strength
and air and
vision
and hope

until eventually
both of you
begin to smile

in recognition

.

.

.

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Linking up today with the fabulous dVerse poets for Open Link Night, join us!

::

into

the

possibilities

of life

and

basking

in the glow

of

never mind

::

This November clematis was one of the last gifts
from my garden this year.

Two days ago, a heron flew over my house through a light snow.

This morning, three goldfinch stopped by my window feeder.

Life is full of surprises, gifts, moments.

And the older I get, the more these things feel like treasures.

Being alive feels like a privilege.

Breathing in the crisp fall air on a morning that’s
using frost as a blanket is all I need.

In less than two weeks, on November 27th, I am turning 50.

Fifty!

That seems like a number worth celebrating.

And so, I invite you to join me on that day in a celebration
of life, here, with a blog-link party.

Share how you celebrate life, in any format you wish,
a post, a photo, a poem, a song… and then
come back here and add your link.

Let’s celebrate life, together.

Okay?

Click here to go to the celebration post and add your link!

.

i like a nice cotton blanket

warm from the dryer and smoothed
out just so, laid to rest
just beneath that quilt he
bought for christmas one year

flying geese in all my favorite colors

and i bring it out each winter
tuck in corners, tsk tsk about the tiny
rip right there on the edge

a sign, i think
of wear and tear

or love

whichever you prefer

.

tonight i will take a long hot bath
so that later i might slide
clean toes between cool sheets

and this heavy cover of birds and blue
will weigh me down just enough
to keep me centered through those months
of white and wind that always threaten
to carry me off somewhere

now

you might think
i’m just a silly old woman
writing poems about ants
and apples and cotton blankets

but i tell you

this is where life is

.

.

.

.

.

Linking up today with the fabulous dVerse poets for Open Link Night, join us!

is hope.

So much of life comes down to that.

What do you really need?

How little does it take to make you smile?

Beauty is never elusive.

Every day,

there is a lesson.