edgy

nervous about the
study; at least it is a
distraction from life

hopeful

finally it feels
possible; Wil's interview
just one month away

hooky

I feel much better
having taken the day off
naughty, but better

vivid

dreaming of London
the embassy a castle
Wil a questing knight

relaxed

it's the first weekend
in a very long time that
we have felt happy

happy birthday Adam

I wish that when we
last met I had told you how
much you meant to me

FINALLY!!!

Wil got an e-mail:
interview in December
just thirty-five days

twelve weeks

sending letters to
politicians; we're really
feeling desperate

T-Mo Halloween

fewer people in
costumes this year; but I left
before the children

plain

momentarily
I consider a costume
the spirit passes

@ Barbara & Taru's

the mysteries of
the pomegranate revealed
ruby sweet-tart seeds

recluse

I can easily
go the whole weekend speaking
to no one but Wil

I feel like I keep
writing the same haiku; how
art imitates life

bleak

I can't keep this up
I can't even bear to post
these gloomy haiku

eleven weeks

if six to twelve was
really eight to ten, then we
are now overdue

6:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

long, exhausting day
arriving early at work,
staying late at school

Tato & Tufty

surrounded by the
furry souvenirs of our
journey together

lonely

yesterday was a
reminder of simgle life --
but worse, without Wil

Rita & Shane

family and friends
in overlapping circles
support your union

Friday

another long week
crossed off the calendar; still
no news from London

Lady Constance Lytton

jailed for her beliefs
carving a bloody V for
votes into her chest

clocks

the endless ticking
slowly marking time until
together again

samba

sadly my joyous
feelings dissipate too fast
when the drumming stops

grey

trudging through the day
each morning more difficult
to get out of bed

slip

a momentary
lapse of concentration and
I fall to my knees

things what go WHUMP in the night

will insomnia
be my constant companion
despite the new roof?

red tape

crossing off the days
serving this tiresome sentence
feeling imprisoned

hopeless

why do I write these
when I now seem to lack the
energy to post?

usability class

working with Tracy
and Leslie -- feeling happy
about our project

x-rays

standing motionless
clutching the lead body shield
knees frozen in time

Janelle

such joy in dancing
inspires my creaky knees
feeling the rhythm

long weekend

restless energy
feeling trapped, maddened by the
slowly ticking clock

Skype isn't enough

tense, quiet, moody
readjusting to leading
our separate lives

TGIF?

one week has gone by
not even an entire month
empty weekend looms

i (heart) carol

glimmer of sunshine:
my new samba instructor
she's an otter, too

wednesday

settling into
a dreary routine; one day
much like another

office

corner cubicle
secluded, quiet; still I
cannot keep focused

jet lag

dry-eyed, wide awake
exhausted but still sleepless
hearing the clock tick

farewell

where did two months go?
poster children for Einstein's
relativity

après...

smuggled Jack Daniels,
secrets revealed, hugs, kisses,
and tearful goodbyes

Milo

long-time favorite,
now clearly a friend, almost
even family

Adam Ant

two hundred faithful
patiently queueing to meet
their fragile hero

countdown

strolling past Britain's
industrial heritage --
is this the last time?

focus

absentmindedly
drifting from task to task, not
paying attention

bathtime

soothing hot water
an excuse to stop work
let the mind wander

slowly but surely

the shelves are empty
the boxes pile grows higher
still so much to do

Happy Birthday, Samuel Johnson!

festivities and
felicitations for the
lexicographer

progress

clearing off the shelves
carrying books to Oxfam
two bags at a time

Walsall Illuminations

fairy lights in the trees
candy floss, sticky fingers
strolling, holding hands

Coventry

bombed-out cathedral
Lady Godiva statue
and too many shops

Talk Like a Pirate Day

shiver me timbers
we'll hoist tankards of cider
and dance the hornpipe

Toni Goes to Ironbridge

she's leaving today
to navigate England's roads
driving on the left

Balti Triangle

sizzling curries
our tongues pleasantly burning
spicy biryani

family dinner

a take-away meal
red wine and conversation
flowing freely

new kicks

black kitty-cat TUKs
smiling when I glimpse my feet
silly mary janes

unsettled

dreaming of stingrays,
graduate school, circuses;
an uneasy night

too late

registering for
a usability course
first on the waitlist

helpless

irrationally angry
"other peoples' families"
leave me unsettled

e-mail

a groaning inbox
much of it no longer of
interest, or use

Ireland Day 7: Tara

legendary hill
where mythology blends with
history, magic

Ireland Day 6: Knock

noisy rosaries
the phrase "holier than thou"
suddenly makes sense

Ireland Day 5: Fanore

eavesdropping on a
matchmaking festival, with
shy farmers dancing

Ireland Day 4: Ring of Kerry

travelling clockwise
on a pilgrimage of sorts
blue seas and green grass

Ireland Day 3: Garinish

clear turquoise water
sheltered bay, sadly lacking
accommodation

Ireland Day 2: Blarney Castle

stretching back, head down
brushing lips against smooth stone
receiving the "gift"

Ireland Day 1: Wexford

crossing the Slaney
visiting the Delaneys'
ancestral homeland

squeamish

changing the dressing
seeing surprisingly clean
edges of the wound

homebound

a long, lazy day
lying in 'til afternoon
relaxing together

postponed

more realistic
to delay our departure
and recuperate

surgery

removing a plate
and screws from his left ankle
leaving flute-like bone

Ireland!

the ferry is booked
and the rental car reserved
for emerald shores

Sold!

indecisiveness
misread by the buyer as
negotiation

Lampeter

taking Wil back to
old haunts; imagining him
in his wilder days

Snowdon

a boring, foggy
climb; we left with no view or
sense of achievement

to buy or not to buy

it's practical to
wear leopard-print shoes before
buying "pirate" ones

overheard at the co-op

two sweet old biddies:
"Come over for a glass of
sherry..." "Delighted!"

Pluto

astronomers may
say what they will; you remain
a planet to me

four rather than three?

I'll say it right now
Ireland's Carrauntoohill is
out of the question

next challenge

a weekend in Wales
walking "the place of eagles"
climbing Yr Wyddfa

aftermath

sore, bruised, and bloodied
inching along a sheep's track
but finally, safe

Scafell Pike

fog-shrouded mountain
navigating cairn to cairn
achievement; no view

mistaken identity in the Lake District

headed for the lake
not knowing it was Crummock,
thinking Loweswater

weekend trip

we're off to the Lakes
where Wordsworth mused and Brontes
scribbled spinsterly

it is, after all, Thor's Day

rattling windows
flickering lights, the modem
resetting on, off

TUK leopard shoes

still honoring my
no-boot-buying promise, but
buying shoes instead

on planning a wedding

reminding the bride
that, despite the cliche, it
really IS her day

Rita's reminder

behind in posting
if not in writing, I will
finally catch up

Sea-Life Centre

rays, turtles, otters
both of us imagining
the life aquatic

Severn Valley Railway

wooden carriages
brass-buttoned ticket takers
smiles and clouds of steam

England!

we nicked the glasses
from the Sunflower Lounge, each
sporting three lions

Frontline

is there anything
better than a record on
blue glitter vinyl?

brown recluse

somehow I managed
not to leave the house today
why did I get dressed?

June

unhappy news meant
a trip to the hospital
to visit our aunt

achy

a bit sore today
creaky joints resulting from
weekend exertions

Lickey Hills

a nicer day for
climbing, even if just for
a Birmingham view

the Malverns

on the early train
climbing up deserted hills
enshrouded in mist

one week?

perhaps this fluid
time is what Einstein meant by
relativity

Captain

apparently, their
first single is called "Frontline"
and not "Summertime"...

King's Norton

ancient bricks, mortar
miraculous survival
the Saracen's Head

spellchecker

feeling calmer, now
settling down, resolving
these inequities