When

*

Photo by Rafael Guajardo on Pexels.com

*

Greetings, blog followers. It occurred to me that following the chapters of The Manor House might be tricky to maintain the continuity week to week. I’m still writing the occasional poem, so I thought I’d post some from time to time. Please do respond with comments. I’d love to know who is out there reading.—Thank you from Kim

*

When I die

My body will rot like compost

or burn like an old pine log

My scent—patchouli and orange—

will remain in my sheets and sweaters,

dissipating in days or weeks

*

When I die

The eggs and apples I bought

will be eaten by others

or tossed away

My clothes dispersed

to family or charities

*

When I die

they’ll close my bank accounts

cancel the newspaper subscription

any medical appointments

notify pension and social security

put the house up for sale

*

When I die

the Balkan dancers will miss me

My life’s furnishings and objects

displayed in a yard sale

for strangers to pick over,

perhaps to buy and value

*

When I die

my essence will drift away

a memory dwindling like smoke

while my ecstatic soul, free,

will rejoin its Source

as a raindrop falls into the ocean

Cat Time

*

Photo by Ihsan Adityawarman on Pexels.com

*

Awaken before first light

Consider:

cat asleep between knees

Disturb her to pee

or try to sleep again?

*

Awaken before choosing:

surrender to stormy skies?

Trust the overgrown path?

How to know right,

left to the light

*

Awaken before dying:

Is it possible?

warm in honeyed amber

puff of cotton fiber

breathe in waves

*

Awaken in the present

where cats live

Now eat now sleep now

Climb the windowsill,

make holes in the screen

Can you see?

Passing Through

*

Photo by Alex Bayev on Pexels.com

*

Passing through, passing through

Sometimes happy, sometimes blue

Glad that I ran into you

Tell the people that I’m only passing through.   —Woody Guthrie

*

He clasped her left arm

with his right hand

fed her nourishing broth

Greek yogurt, lasagna he made

in her kitchen

*

The Opponent drained her appetite

gripped her right arm

with steady strength

and a beady eye

pulled her into

dusty desert dream

on dry scaly feet

*

He tightened his fingers

though her arm bruised violet patches

brought her news and music

cucumber and Coke

whatever she fancied

her arm slid away

as if slathered in Vaseline

*

The Opponent sneered,

I always win

pointed to the faint line in the dust

she’s almost on my side now

Years pull with me, and weariness,

and sour dependence.

*

He tried everything they said

—protein bars, half-pound weights, smoothies–

He couldn’t hold her

not when when she

was letting go