in conclusion

Looking Back

Losing my mother. Losing my father-in-law. Losing my godfather’s son at 23 to fentanyl. The past year has had a lot of heavy loss. But for those of us left behind, life carries on.

smiling at me
from afar …
sliver moon

Winter as Usual

Flurries. Dropping temperatures. Dark mornings. Early evenings. Hidden patches of ice. Laundry that won’t dry. And a number of other things.

demanding
to be let in …
the wind

A Phone Call

Waking up to a text: Call me when you can.
Understanding it to mean, Something has happened. The only question being, to whom? Soon after, I know.

with each step
I stumble upon
the question why

Afterparty

Glasses emptied. Bill paid. Goodbyes finished. I stop at a convenience store and buy one for the road.

snow gathering
on my head …
the long walk home

Homecoming

Pulling into the driveway. There it is. On the balcony. Where I left it.

in fading light
the laundry sways outside
things left undone

There and Not There

Glimpsing a crumbling foundation. Its rocks strewn about. Memories of home. Stuff we’d find in the fields. Stuff that had no meaning. Until now.

letting things
fall apart …
the old stone wall

December 31

Here it is. There it goes. On the final day, a first of the year.

snow
lightly
falling
into
the
new
year