Anniversary

/ Othermary / 7 Comments

8-19-26

Once in a lifetime you will say goodbye

to your dad

you will tell him you

love him

and you will go,

thinking of all the next things

you must do –

all the driving and

packing and

phoning and

planning and

you will forget, for a time

to think about

him but he will be there

in the back

of your mind like a stone

in your pocket

or a toothache, or

like a warm blanket,

like love you always count on,

just a piece of your

life – as you go about all the other

pieces of your life.

And then once in a lifetime

you will get a call

and a nurse will tell you your dad

has died

and now all the pieces of your life

scatter –

and you can’t pick them up,

not for a long time.

Maybe not ever.                                                        

Today is the 20th anniversary of my dad’s death. He was ill, but I went home to pack my son off to university. Dad died about 4 hours after I left. I still miss him, and I still feel awful for leaving when I did.

On Reading The Diary of Anne Frank

/ Othermary / 1 Comment

I am reminded of
the many things I take
for granted.

I have soap and water,
as much as I like,
I have books and outside
sources of information and entertainment.
I have communication,

I have windows
to look out any time I want.
I have room to move, to walk, to drive, to breathe.

I have community and
I have privacy.
I also have
a warning.

Bully

/ Othermary / 1 Comment

Musk-rat was cyberbullied

off the interweb (yesterday?).

This should not make me happy

yet, I find a smile

when I see my face reflected

in my phone screen

That’s the problem

well, one of the problems,

with bullies,

unless you’re very careful

they turn us

into the very thing

that’s so awful

they turn us into bullies too.

Of course another thing about this particular bully, and his orange sidekick, is that their bullying is killing people, killing a country, killing a planet.                   

Remember

/ Othermary / 2 Comments

Things are changing

quickly.

There is much I need to learn,

but even more

to remember.

I must remember

things

that have past,

lessons from early

in my life, and before my life.

I must remember

that Nazis are bad.

I must remember that

great civilizations take

care of their most vulnerable,

and keep predators away.

I must remember these things

from the past,

because

things are changing

quickly.                             

More Rant than Poem

/ Othermary / 2 Comments

My country is being taken over

by fascist, racist, sexist idiots,

and just over half its citizens

are apparently fine with that.

DC Barbie comes on tv

and scolds reporters

for saying bad things about

the abomination administration

She says their words are illegal, lies, wrong.

Dear George,

Who knew 1984

would unfold in 2024?

It was meant to be a warning,

not a blueprint.

I weep for my country

and the other half of us

trying to live decent,

compassionate, sane lives.

How can so many humans be so utterly inhumane?

Labeled

/ Othermary / Leave a comment

Do you label me?

Should I label you?

Do you label yourself too?

I must admit, sometimes I do

Are you

Perishable?

Fragile?

are your

Contents Under Pressure?

or perhaps you are

Highly Flammable

or even, perhaps

Toxic?

What I need you to know

about me,

about us all,

never forget to

Handle With Care                                       

Back Off Microsoft

/ Othermary / 4 Comments

AI,

I don’t want a copilot

when I write,

ever.

You can

clean my house,

wash my clothes

maybe even do my taxes,

But do not “help” me

when I write.

While I will gladly

(though guardedly)

take suggestion after,

while I write

its just me,

my thoughts

and my feelings.

So go away

AI