Countdown
for every good
day
there is at
least one
when the
toads don’t sing
for everyday
that my joints don’t ache
there are
100 when they do
I forget to
count
I lose track
the gray
matter behind my eyes
consumed
elsewhere
in a series
of control-alt-delete moments
Wallstreet, Penn
Ave
shitstorms fly
while I look
for a mitzvah
paid for in
grace
on small
streets
the music
stops
I grab a
chair
all I know
to do,
is one thing
at a time.
copyright/all rights reserved Audrey Howitt 2020
Posted for Poets and Storytellers
Ah yes indeed tgere come a time as aging dictates we do have to grab that chair and sit
ReplyDeleteHappy Sunday. Stay safe
Muchđź’šlove
It's the only thing all of us can do, go through one day at a time... hoping that at some point the not-so-good days are overtaking for better ones. The alternative involves too much screaming, I think,
ReplyDeleteI too try to find the small blessings each day to make our current situation more bearable. I'm lucky that I can count a fair amount of good to make me forget the bad every now and again.
ReplyDeleteIt all feels like musical chairs. Love the control-alt-delete moments line.
ReplyDeleteWait... you have days that your joints don't ache? You is lucky!
ReplyDeleteLove this fine work.
Getting older somedays isn't much fun. The music stops, you should walk slowly to your chair, see who might want the next dance. I remember those days well.
ReplyDelete..
It is so frustrating not being able to run or jump or do so many things I used to. However I am pleased I can still write, laugh and share my life with others still. Enjoy your life Audrey, especially your writing!
ReplyDeleteI really feel this poem. It's all we can do.....the best days are when the toads sing.
ReplyDeleteAs someone with a body that doesn't always cooperate, I resonate with this poem.
ReplyDeleteI’ve started that countdown too, Audrey, and you’ve captured it well, everything in your poem is familiar – except for the toads, as we don’t seem to have any round here. Even the frogs and newts disappeared a few years ago. I especially identify with the ‘control-alt-delete moments’!
ReplyDeleteYep, so much we can't do as we age.
ReplyDeleteOh this is brilliant- I love the opening and the movement that follows!
ReplyDeleteWhat you do know how to do is use language / craft poems superbly. In this realm you dance with intricate precision that looks like flowing ease.
ReplyDeleteWallstreet, Penn Ave
ReplyDeleteshitstorms fly
while I look for a mitzvah
paid for in grace
on small streets
Poetry doesn't get much better than that, my friend. Your poetry is a physical force.
Blessings always!
And with each new day, sunny smile, and a poem that rhymes we can get through these tough times.
ReplyDeleteYes, one day at a time. Yesterday all I could do was cry. Today I'm focusing on the sunlight outside my window. It's all I can do.
ReplyDeleteThis is so wonderfully written. I love "control-alt-delete" moments and I deeply understand sometimes searching desperately for a mitzvah. It's so true..."one day at a time."
ReplyDeleteto do one thing at a time. i so felt the sincerity in your poem there. great write!
ReplyDelete