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
Recurring Dream
Caught in a marriage
without an escape route
I roll over
open my eyes
and find I’m with the man
of my choice
not the man
of my dreams
*****
by Lori Lipsky
photo: Majesticca/istockphoto
Something is Not from Nothing
if you don’t recite the poem
if you don’t sing the solo
if you don’t write the book
if you don’t give the speech
you don’t allow failure its opportunity
but instead
guarantee it
*****
“You can’t do something with nothing” Daphne Gray-Grant
poem by Lori Lipsky
photo credit: marcfischer/istockphoto
