Half the cookie is
Half the calories – unless
You eat the other half too

The language of aging
Learned in small steps as a child
This time it’s backwards

I watched the green grass
Grow before it was mowed
Down to the marrow

When doctors and nurses
Let us into their sanctuary
We are humbled

When your car breaks down
Do you despise it’s incompetence
Or mourn it’s vulnerability

I love a good speech
His son had tears in his eyes
Best speech of the year

As of this moment
I will accept past mistakes
And forgive myself

There’s a bear in the bush
Should I run or play dead
It’s just a “stump” bear

Missed the smell of the
Salt spray, love the subtle scents
Along the lakeshore

Some ducks on the lake
Are having a conference
A lot of quacking up

The wind gusted against
Our holiday trailer – thought
We might end up in Oz

Watching home movies
Children now in their sixties
Long ago, far away

Love waxes and wanes
Like the moon. It does
Not go away

Listened to Moondog
Rock the stage at Salmon Fest
Nearly fell out of my chair!

Sunlight creeps in from
Afar. Ripples on the water
Begin to sparkle

Camping on the lake
With T.V, fridge and Wifi
Should I feel guilty?

I dreamt of skimming
Across the luminous lake
In a rubber boat

Red sun like a cherry
In a mouldering grey sky
Smoke from faraway fire

Three years married
A “covid romance” they said
Love in our eighties

To forgive is as if
It never happened,
Memory’s still there

When fires die from where
Smoke spews, we’ll go outside
And enjoy the view

I’ve reached the age of wisdom
And the age of forgetting
At the same time

So many great chats.
No worries. I just revel
In his recovery

Rose hips and snowberries
It’s autumn, even the fireweed
Has dulled down to embers

I drink hot chocolate
When it’s dark – getting
Earlier every night

A dragonfly zoomed
Like a Cessna A-37
From the tall marsh grass

How high is the water?
Two feet lower than last year
The wells are shrinking

Laughter releases
Opiates in the brain
A legal drug habit

Watched Trump and Harris
But don’t know our own candidates
In BC Election

The rains came as they should
Tinkling on the rooftops and
Sprinkling in the wood

Sunlight in the treetops
Golden blaze ‘cross darkened sky
Glimpse of what’s to come

Touches of gold in the
Foliage, golden glow in the trees
Gold is everywhere

To those whom I love
And there’s more than a few
I don’t care how you vote

Watching the ducks convene
So many ducks on the water
A political rally?

Geese flying in a perfect “V”
One’s flapping in the middle
A nonconformist

Is it possible that
The little lost girl’s been found
Makes one believe in prayers!

I watched the sun rise
Then I watched the sun set
‘Blessed is the spot’

Birch trees flap their limbs
In the wind, crinkly leaves fall
It’s the senior season

Born in nineteen thirties
Survived war, poverty, afflictions
Old enough to have opinions!

Frost on the pumpkin
First hard frost since May
Four frost-free months

He brings her flowers
But what can she give him
A banana cream pie!

Wind blew cold today
Gathered up summer’s fun
And stored it away

Swirly, puffy clouds
White, grey, silver, in blue sky
Like abstract art

Little girl wore new shirt
First day of Residential School
It was taken away

October two-thousand- six
Three feet of wet snow that
Stuck to the shovel

Sun peeps through clouds
Illuminating nearer ones
Something like love

Chilly in the morning
Dark too soon at night, time
To wear long underwear

White moose in front
Of my car. Oh my, ugliest
Horse I ever saw!

More gold than green now
Wet with a three-day rain
Next year’s fire protection

Brown bear feasting on
Ants doesn’t care that he’s
Categorized as “black”

A teeter-bum bird
Stood on a rock singing songs
Oops…he’s teetering

In the Autumn of my life
I absorb the glorious colours
Not the muddly underbrush

Love you darling
Don’t want to unlove you
Love is too precious

Crocodile smiles.
Anticipating dinner? Or just
Mentally healthy.

All the flowers died in
Their earthy pots under
A Northern Lights sky

Invasion by fairies
Hovering in leaf vehicle
No place to land

My African violet
Unwatered, neglected
Gave birth to two babies

I went down to the lake
To view trees in the distance
And waves by the shore

Pieces of gold on the lawn
Does the mama tree miss
Her leaves when they fall?

My car is back
With an engine transplant
From Saskatchewan

Thoughts would pass through my
Brain like a video – now more like
A slide show projection

Silver Birch tree’s aghast
She’s not suitably undressed
For the weather

Democracy works
Did you vote? You might be
The kingmaker

Music feeds my soul
It seeps in through the ear canal
Fills the empty spaces

Old woman decompresses
Takes off tensor wraps, girdle
Bra, compression socks

There’s a war going on
Invaders are tiny but ruthless
Immune system’s on alert

Binging on British TV
Just one more episode –
It’s midnight already

Crinkly brown leaves
What’s left of autumn’s beauty
Await the snowfall

Wind blows from the East
A sharp edge that cuts the cloth
Feels like ‘snow cold’

Beyond our birthing
And the in-between, we
Have made a difference

I love the Silver Birch
Its leaves cling to the mother
Until December

Our loved ones pass on
We cannot talk or embrace
But the love is still there

Locked myself in the loo.
Again. Last time overseas
This time had my phone

Peanut butter and jam
On toast, each day for breakfast
Washed down with coffee

Live in the real world
No more drugs, booze or smokes
Just pie and ice-cream

Dark days of November
Dark days invite art, music
And spiritual awakening

Quack grass in the garden
Its impenetrable roots
Could take over the world

It’s a two-blanket night
The third blanket makes me
Menopausal

Morning snow on the road
Should be gone by noon. Oh no,
It’s snowing again

Personality
Versus character, nice
When they have both

Looking for the light
But if I open my heart
The light will find me

My little car is haunted
Blows its horn – windows roll down
Without any help from me

Oval shaped turkey
No bones, wings, or drumsticks
And it’s stuffed

Chickadee sings his winter
Song. Snowberries are little white
Lights in the shrubbery

God’s all embracing
Love like whipped cream
On strawberries

A rose by any other name
Is still a rose
Something like religion

Eyes feast upon beauty
Ears absorb music
Mans’ Art gifted by God

When playing Whist, you’ve
More tricks if cards are “Trump”
(Still get Booby Prize?)

Is it the coffee I love
With its addictive qualities
Or the cream and sugar?

Each morn I open my
Blinds a crack, no snow means
One less day ’til Spring!

Ladies served pineapple
Cream with a piece for George which
I refrained from eating

Snow swirling sideways
Icy wind screams: We’re here
Get used to it!

Yellow banana
Aging before my eyes
Brown spots, turning black

Directions on the toilet
Just like in a car wash
Seat is heated too

Laughter is free
Didn’t make any money but
They laughed at my poems!

Trees draped in white fluffy
Down – snow-laden landscape
Bright blue winter sky

Atmospheric rivers
Bomb cyclones, new weather patterns
All we have is snow

Perched on snowy limbs,
Grey with yellow-tipped tufts,
Pecking at red berries.

Super Senior can
Leap over tall anthills to
Stop speeding turtles

Can one pray without
Words – feel joy for “Thank You”
And despair for “Please”

Slip-sliding on highway
Swirling snow spoils the view
Staying home ’til spring!

Snow insulates the senses
All is quiet and still
Except the snow blower

Memories like gift cards
Can be opened anytime
To view distant past

Driving snowy streets
Best to stay in low gear
Second is too fast

Silver birch leaves, brown,

Crinkly, acknowledging

Upcoming season

Making carrot pudding
My Christmas specialty
Good with lots of sauce

Chocolate rolls off
The tongue pleasurably
My drug of choice

The sun comes up
And the sun goes down. Not
Much time in between.,

Coast weather they call it
Rain in December. Coast
Take back your weather!,

Birthday cake for seniors
They’re younger than last year
(Healthier anyway)

Coffee, toast and
Peanut butter, enough
Sustenance ’til noon

Dark grey branches fringed
With thick white hoar frost
A blend of dark and light

Out of bed at four
Coffee, breakfast, bed.
A second run at sleep

Frilly red hat
Purple blouse, pants and bling
Red Hat Ladies rule!

Quantum physics…
Suggests what’s happening
Has already happened
(For some reason, that’s comforting)

Christmas nuts and candy
Set out on the counter
Save room for supper

Light fades in pale sky
Darkness descends at four p.m
Man invents light bulb

Something refreshing
’bout new snow, like clean sheets
On the clothesline

To see ourselves
As others see us
We would be surprised

A coffee with you
No matter what time, I’d like
A coffee with you

There’s a time for hope
And a time for change, with a
Big stretch in between

Forgot to watch the news
Latest on war, crime, politics
Went to bed uninformed

Can’t remember this
Or that, need another senior
To fill in the blanks

I love Christmas carols
Familiar tunes from long ago
And I know the words

Not enough ice on the lake
Too much ice on the road
It’s not REAL winter yet

Who knew a turkey
That walks breast side down
Should be cooked that way

I saw Evan Kemp
Slumped on a black horse at
The Clinton Rodeo

I dreamed of skating
On a shining mass of lake ice
For miles and miles

Too much love can be
Fatal. I overwatered
Our Christmas plant

Do you drink water?
Sure – juice, pop, coffee, tea
It’s all water to me

Hope to leave my spot
On Earth in better shape
Than when I arrived

Sunlight gleams on sharp
Edges of snowbank, cold cuts
Through jeans and long johns

S’long as you’re happy
Love’s unconditional
Wherever you are

Sometimes the best day
Is the one that follows
A really bad day

Deer tracks in the snow
On the pathway where I walk
Try not to step on them

When fog shrouds your way
You can’t see through the gloom
There’s sunshine by noon

Feminine cleavage
At Hollywood awards
Bodices defy gravity

Silver Birch tree wears
Lacy lingerie. Winter’s
Frosted tapestry

Prayers voiced with others
Are potent. Can we pray for
World Peace on Zoom?

Embers in the wind
Igniting all that burns
Reducing homes to ash

To see ourselves as
Doctors see us could
Be enlightening

I have no opinion
About politics, just grateful
I’m not a politician

Magical Moon
Shining on the snow
Illuminating the night

She flitted through life
Leaving beautiful footprints
Flying close to the ground

Sweatpants, sweatshirts
Sweatsocks, not much sweating
When its this cold

Brown ice everywhere
Sand reduces slippage
Walk with ski poles

Foot trails through the forest
Duck ponds, gnarly fir, birch trees
My childhood playground

“Nine months less a day”
Sentenced to Oakalla
At age sixteen

What makes my heart soar
Fills my chest with exhilaration
Don’t know ’til it happens

Wanna play cribbage
Takes a bit of courage
‘Cause I might skunk you

I sometimes wonder
If I wrote my own life script
Comic strip maybe?

Fridge soup coming up
Putting in the leftovers
Have a taste, yuck!

Nice to get together
At games and meetings
Love my fellow humans

Gossip’s a virus
Infects the community
Permeates the soul

Don’t expect too much
Of others. Just celebrate
The unexpected

Responsible drinking is
Presumptious like
Controlled burning

The silver birch rests
Last years dead leaves
Polka-dot the snow

Can’t sleep. Slump in big
Chair that vibrates. No way.
Bring on the coffee!

Soak up the moment
Life is anticipation
And recollections

My hair is falling out
Every day I curry-comb
My sweater

Let us not let
Anger rule when dark thoughts
Obscure our way

Alone in the silence
Three o’clock in the morn
Feeling presence of God

Feb/ 202

Darkness is dispersed
As the sun rises
Above the mountains

Pink sky at dawn
Bringing bad weather
Enjoy the dawn

Sign says “Deer Crossing”
But jaywalking is what
Animals do best

The palette is grey
Blue grey and silver
With a touch of gold

In the dark of night
A tiny creature leaves scratch
Marks in the snow

Listening to the sound
Of silence, enjoying
Its modulating tones

The silver birch droops
Its lacy white foliage
Has melted away

Snow rises like the tide
Waves of white swirling
Imprisoning me

There is a pause
In mid-February
The moon’s still hungry

Cats are quirky
Frustrating but
Forgivable

Baking a cake
Okay, so Betty helped
I added eggs and oil

My memoirs all about me
A seedling, a sapling
An old-growth tree

f28 Warmer this morning
There’s a bite in the air
But the wind is still

Love is forgiveness
Love reaches out, no holding back
Love is me loving you

Sunshine on snowbank
Wispy cloud in pale blue sky
Mother Nature rests

Something comforting
About fresh snow on trees
Dressing up bare branches

Flowers withering
He drove so far to get them
Hate to throw them out

Short meeting are best
Agenda, minutes, money
Then coffee and cake

“Spread top all the way”
Milk carton splats to the floor
Clean up time in the kitchen

I went to Bali – virtually.
Swirling in my arm chair
Warm sand at my feet

Opened the curtains
Bare naked poplars shiver
In the knee-high snow

Sunshine on tree tops
Sparse snow levels on the ground
Worrying about spring fires

Wax the shuffleboard
Until its a slippery shell
Pucks slide off both ends

What’s a memory
If you can’t recall it, did
It really happen

Make sourdough bread
Mix-rest-warm-rise-fold-tuck
Rise again-bake. Total 3 days.

Do this, said my child
Like I had advised her
In years long past

A cup with my name
Makes the coffee taste
Taste better

Memories of summer
Cruised up the Coast
And to Haida Gwaii

Exercise ‘though
Joints resist activity
With pain

I feel entombed
In girdle and
Compression socks

In the dark of night
Deer punch holes
In the snow

The sun, oh the sun
A pink glow on the hillside
Gonna be a lovely day

Ethereal tree shapes
Fog obscuring landscape
Perhaps I’m still sleeping.

Listen to the wind
Mother Nature’s violin
Thank you, Ian Tyson

Don’t want to write about politics specifically. Just wondering about the powers that be behind the throne (so to speak) Anyway I am curious.

Can an ineffectual
Ruler be “the sacrificial lamb”
Who is next in line?

Alone in the silence
Three o’clock in the morn
Feel the presence of God

Enjoy what you do
Even if you do
Nothing

February sunshine
Warms the thirty below
To fifteen by noon

Twenty below, I cried,
Positively balmy! So are you,
Said my husband

Just because I am right
Does not mean that
You are wrong

Meat animal sleeps
Ice too thick to fish
It’s the hungry moon

Watched a young George
Clooney movie. Wine’s not only
What appeals more when aged

Tall spindly poplars
Point their twig fingers at the sun
Dark spruce is unimpressed

Early morning tunes
Nat King Cole for more sleep
Elvis for wakening

Thinking ’bout eight pots
Of golden marigolds on porch
Railing of log house

Dawn of a new day
Grey sky, pink on horizon
Love in the air

Stark images of
Bare naked poplars amongst
Well dressed spruce

Fellow elderlies
Unite: we care, but at times
It’s best to do nothing

Who is that masked man?
C-pap Man’s able to leap from
His bed before noon

So few foxes, saw one
And wondered, was he new
Or a survivor

Snow sifting down
Like icing sugar on
Stale lumpy cake

“Extra Cheddar Cheese”
Is it better cheddar or just
More in the package?

There is a pause
In mid-February but
The moon’s still hungry