August morning

is cooler, than last week's steady

torching of the garden & parks

on the kitchen table are summer's produce:

juicy peaches, ripe mangoes, melons, berries

from the nearby grocery store, including

pots of rosemary, basil and lemon grass  

the gifts from summer also include

home grown flowers from marigolds

to zinnias, whose seeds i will carefully

zipped up for next spring's planting

i love watering the back garden,

mesmerized by the sprinkling waterdrops

and even now that its a bit cooler,

i love the green lushness of the fields

savoring each rain downpour   

as maple leaves are slowly turning brown

what we planned at the start of year

has given us a clear direction:

this home is more precious than ever-

our spring's sale showing did not materialize

which turns out to be blessing after all

as i slowly hang up paintings, unpack kitchen gadgets 

from the garage, arrange a vase, curtains

cushions, bed coverings, books that

give our space a unique look

not the ubiquitous bland "perfect for sale home"

i breathe it all until plant questions intrude:

when to bring back all the tropical 

plants indoors?

and where to fit them all in our living room?

Posted for the dVerse Poets Pub - Poetics - Where do we go from here? Hosted by Melissa Lemay.  Thanks for your comments and visits.

house [for sale]

 

i grew a body 

over the decades & seasons:

sturdy legs, giraffe high ceilings & brown

weathered arms during long winter nights

i found my stubborn voice 

from the brick chimney, incessant howling

of a child on a strong 

stormy day, black hair whiplashed by wind

i discovered my elephant's ears- 

doors opening and footsteps are news -

jostling voices by dinner table and kitchen 

are stories, as are goodbyes from the stoop and stairs

you talk to me as if i am more than bricks and stones

and painted white walls.  you see,  i stitched a tail 

to swim with blue whale at the basement and green-

thumbed my fingers to forest neon pothos 

and chatter with ferns & crotons & ivy -

-no we do not linger on chaos & turmoil of news-

we fill our heads with birdsongs & spring's arrival of lilacs-

& yes, i am scrubbed clean, ready for Sunday's open house- 

the woman holding the box of for-sale placards wrestles

with her decision - keep my keys or give it to someone else -

i like to believe i am priceless burrow of maps

and irreplaceable nest of "memories"

but reality hits as sudden hail storm on a sunny day-

regardless of the price tag listed in the property deed 

 - to safe keep my keys -

my face grew a character, familiar as musk of pines-

because all this time, you see, we grew in/

out of each other   

watching the dying sunlight by maple tree 

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - MTB:  Magical Realism.   Join us when the virtual pub doors open at 3pm EST.   Please see our exciting 2026 Anthology Project to celebrate the 15th anniversary of dVerse Poets Pub here.  

here (this place)

 

is where dandelions and wild

flowers bloom

and where

red maple and lilacs rise to

greet the spring morning

hello yelllow!

is planted roots, 

4 seasons

and city bursting & bustling 

of hues, stories & languages

we're settled now

this place 

we call

home!

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub- Quadrille - hosted by De Jackson.  This a 44 word post with the chosen word, PLACE. Thanks for your visits and comments.

French Onion Soup

When I made this soup in our first month of

marriage, it was a soggy soup of tasteless onions 

But you finished it all up anyway

Embracing me for my (lack of) cooking skills

Time was the best ingredient in the kitchen

I know that now after more than 3 decades of

family & raising the children

There is no perfect recipe to follow, but practice

makes it easier.   I didn't know that white, not

yellow onions, was the best for this recipe

That I needed to cut & stir the many layers of buttered

peeled onions (10 cups) for a long time (at least 40 minutes) in a pot

I did not know that the long caramelizing process

brings out the sweetness of the onions

Peeled away are silky translucent skin

Turning the color of char & slightly brown under the fire

Adding garlic, fresh thyme, wine & bay leaves 

Made this chicken stock richer, flavorful than I ever thought 

possible.   Pair with buttered bread and white wine

You sighed with delight over this (heavenly) soup

How is it possible that (you say) you have

never changed at all - you are still as beautiful 

when I met you.   I smiled at you and noted that you

are not wearing your glasses.   The french onion

soup made you giddy, I say.   I wipe away the

stains from my hands, now slightly wrinkled, bent & patient 

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Poetics - Peeled Away with guest host Melissa Lemay.    Join us when we talk all about onions when the pub doors open at 3pm EST.    And yes, I now know how to make this delicious French Onion Soup.   

rocket man

 

let's wander under the skirts of the stairs

& the elbows of the turrets

& spiral down to the edge of the dark forest 

my blue suit is ready for flights of imagination

my hand draws axis on sun windows and 

arching bridges to nowhere points

i have pinpointed a planet-

a belt with a red moon and young stars-

i drink your green bowl of solace

as you zip up my meandearing compass

my launch lug is filled with your lush meadow

and melancholic dove songs

i am ready to blast off to  

the skelter helter sky & stardust

my moonflower queen-

you can be sure of one thing:

there is no home like

you

Credit:   Lee Madgwick

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - The strange houses of Lee Madgwick, hosted by Sarah.   This is my choice, among the 5 photos we are to write about.  Pub doors open at 3pm EST.

Chicken soup for autumn

The smells come for me

when I feel low, let down
when I am missing home, coming 
                                                  home

heat wafts my nose, slices 
my belly with steaming chicken 
soup, tickling my insides 
with spices & shrimp dumplings

my heart pumps 
                         sunshine, sticky as sugar
painting all over the house 
                         comfort, sewn by happy memories 

I am snugly warm
watching the      leaves   
                                   leap 




Posted for dVerse Poets Pub:   Poetics - Comfort Smells by guest Gina of Singledust.
Join us when the pub doors open at 3pm EST.  Thanks for the visit.

Happy Family Day !

What entails your "family day" ?

In Canada, we are celebrating Family Day on Monday, Feb.21, 2011.

Though this is a nice excuse to have another holiday and have a long weekend, spending time with the family is a good break from work and school schedules.    The "family time" may be as simple as reading the book together or sharing the meal together as everyone is home, or going for a vacation.

Whatever is your type of "family day", enjoy the time with your loved ones specially when the children are young.   Children may not always remember their toys or clothes or room or the places they have been or their friends during their childhood years.

But they always remember the happy times spent with their family.

Family Day is observed in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan on the third Monday of February. This holiday celebrates the importance of families and family life to people and their communities.

~ HAPPY FAMILY DAY EVERYONE ~

Picture credit:  happythings.tumblr