Hateful rhetoric

is not polemic debate,

it’s just ego run amok

~

Hateful rhetoric

reveals the smallness of those

who need to feel big.

~

Moonlight falls and lights

our path as we take our last

walk on this cold winter day.

~

My last walk’s later

in the colder, darker, night

with my spazzy, smaller dog

On a cold evening,

which provides greater comfort;

a fireplace or lapdog?

~

Why choose when you can

enjoy both sources of warmth

and comfort at the same time?

I watch the cat watch

the bird watching the squirrel –

home entertainment.

~

But who watches you?

Certainly, it’s not the dog.

After all, you’re not a stick.

Unexpected thanks

from someone helped unknowingly

is a treasure beyond price.

~

Savor the pleasure,

Let its memory warm you

on unexpected gray days.

December begins

with a warm daytime tease topped

with a nighttime mini freeze.

~

Frozen grasses crunch,

yet the sound is overwhelmed

by brittle leaves shattering

In so many forms

victory can manifest,

how is defeat possible?

~

Victory and defeat –

two sides of competition’s

coin when you play games.

Sometimes it’s a small

moment that could make a big

difference if we’d just seize it.

~

On the other hand,

sometimes big moments are made

when we dodge effectively.

Inadequacy:

less a state of competence,

more a state of mind

~

Ah, those minds of ours

and the stories they can weave –

We must choose which to believe.

Letting the quiet

seep into my bones even

though I know it cannot stay.

~

Quiet, like minerals,

seeping slowly into bones

causes fossilization.

Rising to drizzle

and its staccato drippings,

I return to bed

~

And I took Knox for

a meandering walk on

this peaceful, drizzly morn.

Sunny Saturday

is icing on the weekend

cake. We pause and eat.

~

And, although it’s brief,

it serves a welcome repast;

a break-fast from what’s to come.

In the days after

Thanksgiving, may we practice

both gratitude and giving.

~

There’s no better gift.

The practice of gratitude

is the pearl that’s beyond price.

Traditionally,

Thanksgiving is the time when

families sharpen all dull knives.

~

May we hope for sharp

knives and unsharp tongues as we

gather together this day.

Sometimes I wonder

if the kids are louder now

or I’m just older.

~

Young people believe

volume will drive their point home

elders value brevity.

Unexpected calls

from aged childhood friend

sharpens fading memories.

~

Catching up after

all those many years – we ride

backwards across time.

Knox indicated

life would be perfect if it weren’t

for that pesky leash.

~

An unrestrained life

may seem rather heavenly

but most likely, sadly, brief.

An alleged day

of rest, suddenly becomes

filled with imperative tasks.

~

Wouldn’t it be great

if we were to take refuge

in different imperatives?

~

Easy does it on days

like this. Why knock yourself out

when you can pause and enjoy?

~

Alternatively,

You could run from one practice

to another, breathlessly.

Knox was not impressed

with my subtle singing hint

of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”.

~

Driven by his nose,

he is anxious to explore

a world of frosty leaf mold.

Sometimes sleeping in

is less a sign of illness,

and more a simple blessing

~

May we treasure such

small moments as these that bless

our overly busy days.

Coming together

but falling apart – common

holiday occurrences

~

Nothing spells chaos,

dysfunction, and frustration

like holiday gatherings,

Would you prefer snow

to this bitter, frigid rain

even now, in November?

~

Snowy Thanksgivings

beat cold, rainy Christmases

each and every time.

You turn fifty-eight

today, but for me you will

always be my fair-haired boy.

~

Grey haired boy, more like!

With all associated

aches and pains and longing.

Deceptive practice,

far from making one perfect,

makes one just untrustworthy.

~

These days it seems some

folks aren’t even trying for

perfection, just deception.

Wind and stillness, rain

and sunshine – yesterday we

were offered it all.

~

That’s Virginia, friends.

If y’all don’t like the weather,

just sit tight a spell.

Any offered hand,

extended in compassion,

is a noble gift, indeed.

~

Just to know that we

matter, that our needs are seen

and help’s offered warms our hearts.

We must not despair.

Sometimes it turns out we’re

better than they or we think.

~

Interesting the mix;

pride, astonishment, dismay,

engendered by our children.

~

And don’t forget our

grandchildren as I suspect

both feel the same about us.

Knox and the cats aren’t

moved by the time change. They’re just

glad I’m still moving.

~

Neither does, it seem,

Mondo programmed posting times

without some intercession.