Random Acts of Writing - Three Shorts

Christmas Morning

Nestled in bed

drowsy and drifting,

soon will break

the shell of sleep,

crack open

a new day,

the dew of dreams

drying quickly

as I emerge

to unwrap

this day.

******

Retro Words

I swoon

about swell,

take a shine

to keen.

******

Solstice Haiku

Light and dark stand still

on this cold December day

before light takes lead.

A.H.

An Unpolished Heart (for John on our 10th Wedding Anniversary)

Wish I had

a polished heart,

all sweetness, light

and butterflies.

This is not my heart.

Ratty, scraggly,

broken, scarred,

patched –

this being Alaska,

with duct tape.

This is my heart.

Thank you

for handling

my imperfect,

unpolished heart

with care

and love.

A.H. 

Witness at Woronzof

Battered and broken,
many didn't
survive the storm.

This is depression:
stuck in the mud,
weather coming in,
I can't move.

Wind and ice
at Woronzof,
this drab day.

This is depression:
it is gray,
it always has been
and always will be.

Next summer
I will come here
on a day fat with light
grayness gone
but I will always carry
a piece of ice
that never melts.

A.H.
Note: Artist Sarah Davies. along with volunteers, did a public art installation at Point Woronzof in Anchorage. She created life-size figures representing people struggling with depression and other difficulties. The artwork is in response to her own experience with depression.
Soon after installation high tides and severe wind destroyed some of the figures. And so it is...

Raven Society

I want to be
a member of
the raven society,
perch up high
make pithy commentary.
Wish I could
swoop around,
play in garbage
and gurgle.
Besides,
who doesn't look good
in black?

A.H.

Baby Bits of Gratitude

Don't need
big, honkin gratitude,
baby bits
will suffice,
little sparkles
of thanks
strewn
thru the day,
lighting the way.

A.H.

Ten Good Things About Alaska's Dark, Cold Winters

1) Don't have to get up early to catch sunrise. (Sunrise today is 9:15 a.m.)
2) Less housecleaning is needed. Dust isn't as visible.
3) More time to read.
4) I don't feel like I should be out there doing something exciting and adventurous.
5) I can make a warm, snug nest in my bed.
6) It ends.
7) Is it over yet?
8, 9 and 10) It's hard to write when I'm in my bed nest and I'm not coming out until it's over. Can someone please send word?

A.H.

Doing a Roger

My brother-in-law Roger Watson died on November 1st at age 64 from early-onset dementia (Lewy body.) Before his illness slowed him, Roger was a very active man. He hiked and biked thousands of miles, most often in the splendid foothills of northern Colorado. His wife, my sister Danita, often joined him.
Please join me in honoring Roger's memory by "doing a Roger." This is my new term for taking a walk, a hike, a bike ride - getting out there (or inside) and moving.
When I visited Roger and Danita I enjoyed Roger's "reports from the field." These were descriptions of what he had seen, ranging from coyotes and rattlesnakes (yikes!) to numerous bird species. Particularly memorable was a sighting of mountain bluebirds caught in a late snow -broken pieces of sky.

Move, notice, report back.
Rest in peace Roger. Thank you for wonderful memories.
Special thoughts and love for Danita who now must walk on without her partner.

A.H.