"teambuilding" day I

we knew the secret
so we had no problem in
subverting the game

hooky

I skipped class tonight
needing instead to prepare
for tomorrow's trip

7-8

a thirteen-hour day
and still my to-do list grows
longer and longer

Affidavit of Support, part II

a not so small joy
finding a big envelope
crammed in the mailbox

Sunday night blues

melancholy mood
and another lost weekend
time standing so still

Paternayan 660

there's not enough wool
to finish my needlepoint
I blame the tent stitch

Friday

weeks drag by slowly
full and yet nearly empty
with few memories

trunk show

tonight at Reba's
a pleasing combination
of baubles and cake

copywriting class, week 4

distracted by a
large raccoon on the roof; all
of us children again

yesterday's march

watching protesters
feeling selfish -- I want my
immigrant here first

workers of the world, unite

nobody noticed
the red bracelet on my wrist
or the tune I hummed

quilt

piecing together
strips of bright flannel to keep
Ania's baby warm

dinner with Barbara & Taru

made dinner last night
testing a new recipe
fortunately tasty!

Editors

a late night club show
again surrounded by those boring
"entertain me" types

b.l.l.t.

be gentle with me
(I'm not as strong as I thought)
cartoon animals

Tab energy

"deliciously pink"
fizzy sweet watermelon
Jolly Rancher taste

CT scan

holding very still
while the machine whirls around
capturing my skull

grammar

I am still striving
to better understand the
that/which distinction

packing

it's easier to
organize another's things
than to do my own

"Sleeping Beauty's Trellis"

in bead class today
learning too late that I
disliked the project

Affidavit of Support Bill

the large envelope
contains a bill I'm very
happy to receive

MTM

afternoon meeting
part rah-rah and part commerce
but Rita lies well

Christine's copywriting class

mental exercise
stirring creativity
clearing the cobwebs

fishbowl

while cleaning the tank
Bait waits tensely in a bowl
jittery, fins flared

wrenched neck

my range of motion
shrunken, sinews taut and sore
hello Tiger Balm

Easter at the Delaneys'

the kids hid the eggs
the adults hunted for them
topsy-turvy fun

the IRS must wait

the small towns where the
post office is closed today
grant two extra days

TGIF, again

the days and weeks drag
perhaps a lack of focus
is responsible?

for Aaron at Second Ascent

my silver steed is
finely tuned, safer, thanks to
my bike mechanic

tortoise dreams

Wil dreams of thousands
of tiny tortoises, each
the size of a dime

the importance of paper

the tangible proof
makes the e-mail seem more real
now we move to State

thanks Janeale!

I always forget
how much I love to samba
drums and dance and sweat

brown recluse

sometimes a Sunday
passes too slowly when you
never leave the house

happy birthday Rebecca!

your smile can light up
any room -- do you know how
much I treasure you?

hooky

it's good to sleep in
so I can fully enjoy
this mental health day

Dave Eggers told me this one

Condoleezza Rice
name so nice, I'll say it twice
Condoleezza Rice

freeze and thaw

temperature
changes make the roof above
crack, bang, and shudder

R.I.P. Martin Gilks, 1964-2006

setting the tempo
for much of my life; you're still
the groove controller

monday...

a bleary morning
puttering zombie-like, then
heading to the gym

Ballard Market

a small dog in the
window, frozen, watching the
big dogs play outside

whisky tasting

pleasing to the eye
and so fiery on the tongue
liquid happiness

on Garth's retirement

what will you do now
if you really *do* retire?
the wide world is yours

Online Styleguide: For Alan

a five-pixel gap
separates text and icon
in every link

Arctic Monkeys

so much hype threatens
to drown out all the music
will it be worth it?

anthemion

glimpses of fresh ink
shades of violet and black
pleasant, surprising

tapestry

needle in, needle
out, soothing repetition,
wool's meditation

Mothering Sunday

one of the best things
I gained in my marriage is
my mother-in-law

scattered papers

the endless charts and
patterns distract me from the
real project at hand

team meeting

another re-org
wondering how we'll fit in
with our new teammates

that rascal Puff

a dragon-shaped cloud
floating over Mount Rainier
in the early morning

something fishy

Rita's out of town
abandoning her poor fish
but Bait will be fed

Congratulations Suz & Eric!

friends and family
gathered to welcome the new
mister & missus

vernal equinox

the sun shines brightly
in a crisp blue sky on this,
the first day of spring

launch night

hurry up and wait
bursts of excitement mixed with
hours of boredom

pre-launch jitters

things will be just fine
scripts will be run, and we'll all
be home before dawn

St. Patrick's Day

in good times and bad
she acknowledged that she had
always been Lucky

R.I.P. P.W.E.I.

a cryptic message
reveals a world no longer
so Incredible

happy anniversary

a surprising year
I could not have predicted
so much happiness

jet lag

it's barely Tuesday
two-thirty in the morning
and I'm wide awake

commute

driving into work
did the past two weeks happen?
my heart tells me yes

65-minute flight delay @ BHX

the only good thing
was that it reduced the time
I spent in Newark

last full day in Brum

I'm sad to say that
this poor fool and her honey
are too soon parted

Whitby

climbing nearly two
hundred worn-down steps for a
prospect of Whitby

Blackpool

grey skies add to the
gloom in this seaside town still
closed down for winter

Manchester

lost in winding streets
an unplanned, undesired tour
of a humdrum town

flu or food poisoning?

it doesn't matter
which -- shivering nausea
and pieces of toast

engagement tattoos

a thousand needles
pushing pigment under skin
marking me as his

Ironbridge

happy wanderings
through a Victorian town
going back in time

Dudley JBs

seeing the Stuffies
playing their home town, dancing
surrounded by friends

St. Ives

as I was going
to St. Ives, I met no man
at all... wives or no

to Norwich

blizzard conditions
crawling down the motorway
aching hands and arms

Happy Birthday Wil!

you're my best friend, my
beloved, now my husband
I wish you great joy!

Stuffies in Stratford

in Shakespeare's home town
we'll enjoy the rhythms of
a modern-day bard

Cadbury World

over excited
in Bournville, now swimming in
a chocolate sea

Patsy "Haiku" Cline

back in baby's arms
how I missed those loving arms
back where I belong....

@ SeaTac

the shuffling masses
are soothed by the illusion
of security

bags still empty

flight leaves in twelve hours
what can I do to entice
the packing fairies?

phone tree

Where is the button
for help? I'm confused by their
limited options...

irs.gov

bureaucratic forms
masterpieces of fine print
and obfuscation

to Linda

no longer faceless
I wish my civil servant
joy, happiness, bliss

Lincoln, Jefferson, Carter, Wilson, TR...

a pleasant game: which
five presidents to choose as
dining companions

small pleasures

Sunday evening
is my favorite part of
a three-day weekend

happy birthday, Michael Stein!

today one of my
oldest and dearest friends is
halfway to ninety

ladies night

"They'll lure you into
their dungeon," he said. But he
needn't have worried...

new cube

sunlight streaming in
a warm, golden distraction
work seems far too grey

three-month-versary

For ninety-two days,
you and I have been married.
Together, apart.

St. Valentine's Day

thank you, my darling...
odysseus is perfect...
all my love, biscuit

happy birthday, Suz!

here's wishing that all
your dreamiest dreams come true
in the coming year

peyote stitch

many tiny beads
woven together to form
a sparkling fabric

one more fortnight

in only two weeks
I will be winging my way
to my husband's arms

carrots

a modern maxim:
turn broken carrots into
"baby-cut carrots".

Stars

ready to sign up
for the soft revolution
"watch the stars descend"

sunshine

still cold in the shade
but the sun is shining bright
Ha! Silly rodent!

move meeting

how much training is
really necessary to
put things in boxes?

duckie

a cheery friend who
sits by the bathtub, hiding
in plain sight of all

magnets

a strong attraction
quickly becomes repulsion
with a single turn

old polaroid

grainy images
instant gratification
creased and dusty

Emerald Drop

a sugary rim
contrasts with the tart liquid
in luminous green

Groundhog's Day

spring is on its way
regardless of a rodent's
prognostication

reba

mugs of hot buttered
rum on a cold winter’s night
cozy sisterhood