On Christmas day before he died,
I went home to visit my dad.
The house was full of family,
our mood was quite somber and sad.
We drifted in and out the room,
where he lay dying in his bed.,
Each of us sharing memories,
saying the words that needed said.
Those last days perhaps the hardest,
as death became reality.
We made the promise to ourselves,
to hold on to his memories.
We were grasping for any hope,
all my brothers, sisters, and me.
We had not yet convinced ourselves,
it was time to let him be free.
Be free to hunt that long coon hunt,
that will never come to an end.
To dance his jig among his friends,
to lie beside his wife again.
Goodbye my beloved father,
in my heart you will always be.
Place a kiss on my mother’s cheek,
and tell her that it is from me.
Change is Inevitable
It’s been about five and a half years now since my wife and I moved from the wilds of Montana to the slightly less wilds of the Missouri Ozarks. I have to say, there have been many changes to our humble abode through those years. Like removing the 18’ by 32’ swimming pool from the side yard. Which I still have a giant hole in the ground that I use to fill up with spring and after storm cleanup debris. The addition of a 24 x 12 foot Gazebo in the back yard, remodeled kitchen, converting the screened in back porch into a usable living space, turning half the garage space into a working office and more. Even after all these projects, it seems like my work is never finished. But that’s life. As they say, it’s not over until it’s over.
with each step forward
the world around us will change
for better or worse
Senryu #3
out in the barnyard
skin color does not matter—
neither does money
~Baby, It’s Cold Outside~
It takes ten minutes
to dawn coat and gloves
scarves and boots and woolen caps
earmuffs and face masks
Pry open the frozen door
and step outside
wait thirty seconds for the dog to pee
and run back into the house
Jerry Brotherton 