a gentle
rain against
the
bedroom window
that
rhythmic tapping
that can
help you fall asleep
those
delicate showers of April
but that’s
not what this is
sheets
of water
being
driven by
a fierce
southern wind
hitting
the side of the house
like
waves
against a rocky shore
As the
pandemic progressed she opted for homeschooling
because “remote
learning” wasn’t really working for her.
She was
struggling with the demands of being a second grader
during
those uncertain times. She spent three or four days a week
at
Grampa’s house doing Science, Math and English.
One
afternoon during our lunchbreak she had a serious look on her face as she said,
“Grampa,
can I ask you a question?”
“Of
course”, I answered.
“Grampa,
if I get the virus and I “…
She didn’t
want to use the word “die” so, she simply stopped mid-sentence
and
pointed to the sky.
“if I go
up there…will you go with me? ”
Choking
back a tear I quickly responded.
“Yes, of
course I’ll go with you.”
What
else could I say?
I’ve
learned to trust the Blue Jay’s call
from
overhead or forest deep
they
warn of danger great or small
a
warning that goes out to all
protecting
chickens that I keep
I’ve
learned to trust the Blue Jay’s call
a time
or two that I recall
woken
from my morning sleep
they
warn of danger great or small
in
summer, winter, spring or fall
their
information’s what I reap
I’ve
learned to trust the Blue Jay’s call
appear from
nowhere like a squall
in trees
above the compost heap
they
warn of danger great or small
and
standing by an old stone wall
I hear
that same familiar peep
I’ve
learned to trust the Blue Jay’s call
they
warn of danger great or small
Inactivity
is the next health crisis.
Doctors
say sitting is the new smoking.
Now I am
worried about second hand sitting.
What if
I’m stuck in a room with a bunch of sitters?
Will
restaurants now have a sitting section?
Will
they still allow sitting on airplanes?
I worry
about the peer pressure my grandchildren will be under to sit.
“Come
on, just try sitting this one time. Maybe you’ll like it.
All the
popular kids sit.”
Will
chairs now be required to have Government Health Warnings?
I guess
I’ll just go for a walk and think about it.
the
earth is still turning
the
waves are still in motion
the
forests are still burning
as the
plastics fill the ocean
we can’t
pretend we’re unaware
as the
earth continues heating
while
pumping carbon in the air
the
glaciers keep retreating
we know
the changes we must make
is there
still time? is it too late?
for children’s
and grandchildren’s sake
how much
longer can we tempt fate?
while
not all wounds result in scars
and
often things can be concealed
not
every night do we see stars
clouds
or feelings act like a shield
sometimes
the cuts we thought were healed
or
constellations we can’t see
quickly
return and are revealed
exposing
things we can not flee
We walk the sand beaches
looking
for sea glass
like so
many others
drinking
out of plastic bottles.
They don’t
allow
glass
containers on the beach
and
through carelessness or neglect
much of
this plastic
ends up
in the ocean.
While
offshore
they
drill for oil
to
produce petroleum
to make
more plastic bottles.
So, now
we walk along the shore
picking
up plastic
while
looking for sea glass-
pieces
of colored glass
being
tumbled by the motion of the waves
slowly
polished by the sand,
just a
little something
to take
off the edge
the
self-medication helped for a while
but it
never lasted
and the
need for more kept increasing
until it
became unsustainable
he
couldn’t get access to mental health care
but he did have access to a gun
ever since
he was a baby
every
time I see him
I tell
him I love him
and he
always replied
“I love
you more”
but he’s
almost thirteen now
and he
doesn’t reply anymore
pretending
he didn’t hear me
or
looking away awkwardly
but once
in a while
he’ll
respond with a little nod
and I’ll
take it
because
I’m not going to stop
telling
him I love him
because
he’s almost thirteen now
and he
just might need to hear it
even
more than I need to say it
