I used to climb on fences
On countertop and tree
Could never understand why grownups
Worried so at me
I knew I was in balance
Where my body was in space
Today I felt that same concern
Show up on my own face
Possibly PMS
I want to toss some bottles
And smash them in the street
I want to shout obscenities
At everyone I meet
I want to tear my calendar
To teeny tiny shreds
And rip my purple foxgloves
From their wooden flower beds
Instead I grab the loppers
And the feelings inside me
And snap the errant branches
From our unsuspecting tree
Sugar and Spice and More Sugar
With jelly smeared on hands and face
She must be first in every race
Making jokes about the potty
By turns she’s fearful, mad, and haughty
Opens freezer, reaches in
Grabs three sweets treat with a grin
Waves them in my face with glee
Takes a bite ‘You can’t stop me!’
No One Ever Told Me
No one ever told me
It was gonna be this bad
If they did, I didn’t listen
And I can’t say that I’m glad
They told me I was talented
They told me I was smart
They said I could be anything
I wanted in my heart
But health, like that naivete
Has vanished with my youth
And pain, fatigue, and fogginess
Are now my living truth
No Choice But To Be Tough
Everything is absolutely rotten
Pain-free life in something long-forgotten
Our kid is sick; she screams in the night
My muscles could not be more tight
Stress messages gush from body to brain
A little blurry with the pain
Chronic illness can be rough
No choice we have but to be tough
Summer Solstice 2023
SUMMER SOLSTICE 2023
My sinuses are swollen
Pollen pools in yellow piles
Thus I take this Solstice Day
And clean out my old files
As we pass through this longest day
And shortest summer night
I toss out that which I don’t need
And start the season right
The Language of the Young
Squeals and shouts and joyful sounds
Echo through the park
The sun’s been down an hour
But they don’t mind the dark
They only speak a few words
Of each other’s mother tongue
But they can speak the universal
Language of the young
Barefoot in the Grass
Last night I had a dream
With no anxiety or fright
I wasn’t naked on a stage
Or lost out late at night
I wasn’t tardy for a test
Or unprepared for class
I simply slipped my shoes off
And danced barefoot in the grass
Father’s Day 2023
My husband is impossible
I get so mad at him
He gives our kid three ice cream bars
Supplies her every whim
But then he takes her to the park
So she can use the swings
He calls from there; I hear his voice
And quickly, my heart sings
Sarah Has Her Father’s Eyes
Sarah has her father’s eyes
I think we can agree
Sensitivity of skin and heart
She likely got from me
The striking red-gold auburn hair
My mother’s side for sure
But that tenacious stubbornness
Have we see that before?
Packing Lists
I plan to pack for sunshine
And for thunderstorms and rain
For walking in the city
And for sitting on the plane
I can make lists and piles and plans
‘Til I am overwrought
But there’ll be something I don’t need
And something I forgot
On Hold
There are eight callers ahead of me
The voice tells me again
I tell myself to take a breath
Attempt to count to ten
I wait and pace and wait and pace
My right ear’s getting hot
They say my call’s important
But it’s very clearly not
It’s All Been Done
I’ve written about sunshine
I’ve written about rain
I’ve written about gratitude
I’ve written about pain
I’ve written sweet poems that whisper
And furious ones that shout
But now I sit with pen in hand
What else can I write about?
Even if You’d Rather Read
Watching Beauty and the Beast
Girls learn that life is not a feast
They see the rules for womanhood
Be thin, be pretty, and be good
Give to others what they need
Even if you’d rather read
This Poem May be Unlikeable
#loveyourlibrary
I love my local library
I’d like to tell you why
But the energy for writing
Seems to be in short supply
So instead I’ll end this poem
Which I briefly undertook
Thanks to my local library
I’ll curl up with a book
Kick this Cold to the Curb
I’ll kick this cold to the curb today
With mugs of ginger tea
Honey and lemon will wash it out
It is no match for me
This sore throat must go away
At least I hope it will
Of coughs, colds, and congestion
I have surely had my fill
I Dread the Next Disaster
I dread the next disaster
Don’t know where it will be from
Don’t know when it is arriving
But I know that it will come
Meds and meditation
Keep the panicked thoughts at bay
But no amount of preparation
Can keep all bad things away
I Dreamt Again of Darkness
I dreamt again of darkness
In a city I once knew
Again I had no car with me
This time I’d lost a shoe
I tried to send a message
But I fumbled with my phone
Thankfully I woke to find
That I was not alone
Futile Food Fights
I believe in the effectiveness
Of market-driven change
More ethical consumption
When it falls within our range
We all work in different way
To choose the path that’s right
But sometimes we must let it go
And fight another fight
Generations
He taught me how to ride a bike
And how to drive a car
To always sauté spinach
But eat tomatoes how they are
How to tell a Monarch
From a Tiger Swallowtail
To always pick out postcards
And put them in the mail
How to float out in the ocean
And paddle a canoe
I hope I can do half as well
When I am teaching you
I Miss the Men in Dress Shirts
I miss the men in dress shirts
Looking tidy with their ties
Coats of seersucker and poplin
Switch to tweed as Fall goes by
Belts that match their shoes
Tailored pants that fit just right
Those handsome men in dress shirts
Are the District’s finest sight
Seed Catalogues
It’s time to shop for seeds to start
In little fuzzy squares
Time to sift through sock drawers
Sort those lone socks into pairs
Time to check your smoke alarms
And see if they’re expired
Time to sit down on the couch
And let yourself be tired
Time to work and rest and write
And map out who you’ll be
Choose how you will live your life
In twenty-twenty-three
Opposites Attract
I like to eat the egg yolk
He likes to eat the white
I’m strongest in the afternoon
He’s strongest in the night
He listens to his podcasts
At accelerated speed
I lose focus when I listen
And would much prefer to read
He wants everything connected
To the Internet of Things
I prefer fresh air and sunshine
And the daffodils in spring
Pencil Me In
Children Will Listen
She watches and remembers
All that she can see
Should I teach her of
The world as it is
Or the world
As I wish it to be?
New Year’s Permission
I gave myself
Permission to write
Twenty minutes
Morning or night
Instead of resolutions this year
What permission do you need to hear?
Everything Grows .. ugh
Raffi says that “Everything Grows”
And I would say that Raffi knows
But things should not grow in all spaces
Our fruit drawer
Is one of those places
Bedtime Tactics
At ten pm, she has an urge
To scrub the bathroom sink
Then she wants to eat an apple
And she wants some milk to drink
Then she has to use the potty
But through her plans I see
This kid’s never been a mama
But this mama once was three
< Write Your Name Here >
Bedtime Tactics
Just for this Moment
Just for this moment
I am okay
And yes, that’s a thing that they tell you to say
But just for this moment
The leaves are bright
Fiery glory in the noon sunlight
Patrick stacks blocks
Sarah squeals with delight
I think in this moment
That things are all right
First Skinned Knee
First Skinned Knee
Shiny shoes a size to big
On sleepy toddler feet
Tender knees fall fast and hard
On summer-hot concrete
It’s not the first
It’s not the last
Of biting wounds you’ll feel
But from this one, I guarantee
That you will quickly heal
Marshmallow
My husband’s such a softie
He cannot hold the line
Gives our toddler what she wants
He needs to grow a spine
Sarah’s got us figured out
Though she is not quite three
When she wants sweets or screen time
She never comes to me
Schadenfreude
A little schadenfreude to start my day
Some tennis star won’t be allowed to play
Well that is just rough
Consequences are tough
This time you won’t get your own way
Adjustments
Driving in my husband’s car
I now know where the buttons are
Where my body fits in space
And where I put my glasses case
To drive my own car now feels strange
Like cooking on someone else’s range
Dismal, Dark, and Dreary
It’s gray, it’s gray
What can I say?
It’s dismal, dreary, dark today
Fear stacks up on top of fear
What will the world be like this year?
New Year’s Note
Popped
Home Hamsterwheel
Taking A Chance
Octaves
I always thought I couldn’t sing
A fact I couldn’t change
But I was only trying to sing
An octave out of my range
Monsters in the Closet
Monsters in the Closet
Everyone’s scared of something
It isn’t only you
Some are scared of elephants
Or boas at the zoo
Some will never set a foot
Inside a haunted house
Other scream and run in fear
Each time they see a mouse
Bridges, needles, spiders
Or underwater leeches
Monsters in the closet
Or giving public speeches
Some are scared of airplanes
That sail the skies of above
But remember when you’re scared, my sweet
To treat yourself with love
Inbox Zero
I always feel like quite a hero
When I can get to inbox zero
Emails put in proper folders
Such a weight comes off my shoulders
Life’s chaotic as a whole
But this one thing is in control
Working from Home
All day long, all she wants is Daddy
She wails as I extract her from his lap
Daddy kisses? She inquires sweetly
When it’s time for her to take a nap
But now he tries to interest her
In reading Llama Llama
As I attempt to sneak away
But all she wants is Mama
Dandelions
Hold it by the stem
Take a breath
And gently blow
Now make a secret wish
And watch the tiny seed pods go
Castles with the Tide
A party by the ocean
I planned that we would host
To introduce our toddler
To our friends on the East Coast
A day of fun and laughter
A gathering inside
But Delta swept it all away
Like castles with the tide
Sarah and Smoky
I watch opposing feelings
As they flit across your face
You want to pet the puppy
But you want to keep your space
This just might be the most
Exciting thing you do all day
But first you have to make the call
If you will go or stay
Almost Two
Exhausting but Enchanting
Each age has got its challenges
Each age has got its charms
So vulnerable and precious
When she was just a babe in arms
Starting to get stubborn
As she learns what she can do
She’s exhausting but enchanting
Now that she is almost two
The Gardener’s Revenge
I think I’ll plant mint in their garden
And sixteen euphorbia too
I’ll block sun from all their tomatoes
With a nice grove of bamboo
It’s not my style to swear and shout
When someone’s being mean
I’ll smile and wait and then I’ll strike
Revenge is best served Green
Emily Adkins Bostian 