Reminders that I’m not alone

Tears well up,
spill over without
warning

Sadness looms,
indelibly engraved
on my heart

Reading old journals,
playing the piano,
watching fiery sunsets

Or watching children filled
with laughter on a day
unlike any other day

Content and discontent
all in the same moment

Life is short.

What will I do with this day?
Does it even matter?

Look! There’s a brilliant goldfinch on the bird feeder!

Yes, I know my desk is covered with clutter—
things I don’t want to close, put away just yet
or forget.

Sometimes I think my life has become a pile of
notes, cards, letters, and lists of supplements
I take to keep this old body chugging along.

Still, today there’s a goldfinch on the feeder,
and cool, dry air we haven’t enjoyed recently,
plus cicadas singing their screechy summer songs,
and Smudge roosting on the refrigerator door.

Not everything I would like
but enough for this day–
reminders that I’m not alone

Thanks for stopping by.
Elouise♥

© Elouise Renich Fraser, 1 August 2023
Fancied-up photo of Smudge plus magnifying ‘eyeglasses’ provided by our daughter and her husband.