What I Did Today ~ A List Poem

Today I…

Did not get in a car.
Painted the rocking chair black.
Unearthed the brick patio
on the side of the cabin.
(It looks like a blanket
lying over the uneven ground,
worn with the heaving
of earth over time.)

Listened to John’s conference calls
on speaker phone for too long.
Made roasted vegetables with zucchini,
carrots, onions, potatoes and red peppers.
Baked an upside down cake glistening
with peaches and strawberries. swimming
in brown sugar and almond paste.

Drank a good amount of water.
Felt culpable for all sorts of crimes
against myself and the world.
Tried to figure out what bird
makes the “bob white” sound
but isn’t a bobwhite.
Flushed two grouse from the wet
and shady spot between the two pastures.
Thought of myself as someone else
so that I could more easily forgive
my crimes.

Found Indian Pipe on the trail where the beech trees live.
Worried about the health of my elderly dog.
Had the feeling that John and I are secret friends.
Thought that I should do yoga.
Felt as if my time here is limited,
which relieved me of the burden of making
this be it forever and ever.