Lifework
the milk is gone and we need some for breakfast
the wastebaskets are full
a light bulb in the kitchen has burnt out
the toilet is running
the furnace filter needs to be replaced
a spider is in the tub
a branch has fallen down in the backyard
the car won’t start—
no matter what it is
Dad will take care of it—
you can always count on him
*****
by Lori Lipsky
Happy 85th birthday, Neil Nelson!
Mom’s Kitchen
After all these years she’s
got it down—
the ministry of buttermilk pancakes with
crisp bacon
the Butterball turkey with
sage stuffing
hot roast beef sandwiches with gravy and mashed
potatoes
banana cream pie with real
whipping cream
perfectly ripened fruits and colors-of-the-rainbow
vegetables, and
sending us back home with a bounty of
leftovers, and
hearty invitations for future visits to the place we’re always welcome—
but till then
we’re back to our trend-of-the-moment
green smoothies
meals in restaurants without
all the love
and simple, unremarkable home-cooked meals that no one seems to
rave about
because no one can ever
cook like Mom
*****
by Lori Lipsky
Happy 80th Birthday, Mom
The Caretakers
The elderly man in the
institutional bed
tells his stale joke with a smile
for each day it seems fresh to him
and some of the caretakers chide the man
again and again
but others laugh or smile
again and again
by Lori Lipsky
photo: Dean Mitchell/istockphoto
Christmas Cards
She transfers
every few years because of work
She reaches
into her mailbox each December
She wonders
how many remember her after she moves
and measures
her impact as she counts her Christmas cards
***
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Lori
Someday
Hope continues past
the stench of
a dead skunk
sniffing and
searching
for seaside air
or a rose garden
by Lori Lipsky
Night Terror
Walking home alone
Autumn mist chills the darkness
Footsteps behind me
On the Block
New neighbor next door
invites me in to visit—
guns on the counter
Rural Weekend
Teenage amusement
running through country cornfields
a wolf pack nearby
by Lori Lipsky
photo: Klumpers
Autumn Riches
Cooler days with shiny sun
and crimson leaves
simmering soups, apple crisp
down-filled duvets
cozy fires on lengthened evenings
and pumpkin trees
****
by Lori Lipsky
In addition, my poem Indian Lake County Park in Autumn appears
today at The Barn Door. Thank you for reading. ~Lori
