Easy Explanation

Lately, thanks to Beanie's "Window on Weather" book, Bitty has been fascinated with storms. In the car, he will say, "Mommy. Let's talk about funder and lightneen!"

Today, we were talking about tornadoes and "what they will do to you." Suddenly, he said, "That's what happened to Grampa! That's how he got old. The tornado sucked him up and it puffed him out and gave him bumps. That's how Grampa got old."

It wasn't actually a tornado that made Grampa old, but Bitty certainly has the right idea!

Poetry

I have written poetry almost all my life, literally since I was 5 or 6 years old. I rarely share it; much of it lately would be categorized as erotica. Some day perhaps I'll publish a book of poems. For whatever reason, I feel motivated to share this poem. I wrote it in February; the motivation is obvious.

I have always believed in being prepared, and for me that means imagining myself in various situations, no matter how terrifying or undesirable they may be. Many people prefer to just not think about the possible negative outcomes to a given situation. I understand that, and I certainly don't advocate dwelling on the negative. I am a happy, optimistic person by nature. But - you don't buy a fire extinguisher because you plan to use it, do you? The same holds true for equipping myself emotionally with tools that I hope I never need.

Funeral Song

I would mourn you
sackcloth and ashes
keening women
black-draped mirrors

I would mourn you
helpless hopeless uncontrolled
black hats with veils
gin and tonics

I would mourn you
facebook blackout
binary wail
inconsolable

I would mourn you
yet I love you still