Ostensibly

using a stencil

–to hide

My lack of a knack

with a pencil

–I tried

templating grooves

tracing pre-cuts

alas

and alack

my pencil got

stuck. . .

outside the lines

of predescribed path

lost among signs

I just couldn’t graph–

in manner,

the planner,

of grid had decided

was optimum course–

for me

to be

guided

so finding myself

without map to route

I drew

blueprint new

my inside

–my out–

an exclusive mold

specifically mine. . .

but get this,

it’s writ-less,

not fixed

or defined.

time and measure

disagreed,

about the length

a year would need,

to feature seasons

days and weeks,

to round the sun

and at what speed…

time contending

three-six-nine,

accommodated

moon and tides,

leaving room

for set and rise,

of sun although

just trick of eyes…

measure wanted

something less,

three-six-oh

seemed measure best,

a textbook circle

no excess,

tried and true

and fully blessed…

alas, the loop

was shy of goal,

despite the truth

of circle whole,

it missed the mark

to stall at pole,

a shortfall, sure

but fixable…

while time itself

ran well beyond,

the starting point

was there and gone,

throwing off the

dusk and dawn,

quittin’ early,

going long.

so calendar

was called to solve–

the proper rate

a year involved,

how long the earth

took to revolve–

around the sun

and made the call…

three-six-five

was deemed to be,

the flawless mix

of time and reach,

it formed ellipse

and perfectly,

a fabric wave

in cosmic see.

©Karen Robiscoe

Squirrels wake me up

–not so cute! squirrels

–not spinnin’ on bird feeder squirrels

–not Chip ‘n Dale polite squirrels, either

they

blast

err sirens

in lieu of

alarm

–which understandably,

comes along for the ride

to wee hours

squirrel!

ER

. . .

figurative or no,

these

foaming at the mouth

nut collectors

crawl out from

inner reaches

colored grey

–nattering and gnawing

skipping & jump-

squirrel!

in possibilities

colored black

as a studied anti-vaxxer

in a LARGELY undecided

life

peppered with

one-ways

& signposts

& fences

& dead ends

erected by

squirrel!

(more decisive rodents)

sleep runs limpin’ away

stuffing

squirrel!

cheeks

with hopeful acorns

when I find them

–usually by twisting an ankle as

they appear blessedly under

squirrel!

gratitude lists

and

pause

squirrel!

itive thinking

is hard won in

PJ’s

though. . .

the best I can do

at 3 a.m.

is entice them w Costco-sized canisters

of “you’ll regret that tomorrows”

and choke them w vapors that taste of nascent

squirrel!

to tame them and trick them

onto hamster wheels crowning me

(one nut at a time)

in cacophonous racket

I must needs

drown

–in media streaming

squirrel!

my leaky eyeballs

red.

 
the Rock’ docs’ dictate

we can swelter in place. . .
 
 

–no beach allowed

unless as moving target,

–no gathered crowd

unless it’s policed,

–no trips around

unless to ma & de∙pop’s stores

–wear masks

buying masks

where

buying into

is heavily encouraged

–by means of

socially suffocating pressure

& raised eyebrows

–the only expression left

and

be∙wildered at best,

yet we

be caged at worst. . .

furiously tapping keyboards

(mind controlled mute)

instead of intuition

(too retro)

–thanking the hosts

(of event 201)

((a party Gates didn’t crash))

–for protecting

vir∙us

us

and instilling

vir∙us

us

with the

fear of

GOP

GOD.