The Ballad of the Bed Bug

 

 

A cute little bed bug got picked up one day

By who knows who; anyhow she came to stay

She came with her buggy spouse straight from their wedding

To make buggy love all day long in our bedding.

And very soon after their sweet day of mirth,

The cute little bed bug quite proudly gave birth

To a litter of larvae, translucent and round,

Tucked into our mattress where they wouldn’t be found.

But we came to know, through our welts and our bleeding

That they joined in with us every night for their feeding.

Three bites; one for breakfast, for lunch, and for dinner

We each were a victim, they each were a winner.

That cute little bed bug, we determined to get her

And her brood using glue traps and a bug interceptor.

In each nook and cranny, we sprayed alcohol

then we moved our beds six inches off from the wall.

So fierce and intense was our bed buggy loathing

In fifty big plastic bags we threw our clothing

That cute little bed bug: we promised to fry her

By tossing our sheets half an hour in the dryer.

The Bug War machinery’s most vital cog

was the services of a bed bug sniffing dog.

Who for three hundred bucks found bugs, larva, and eggs

In the deepest unreachable mattress-y dregs 

With the dog, alcohol, plastic bags and dry heat

The cute little bed bug was vanquished complete.

Our beds were safe islands, the bugs were no more

Though sometimes our bed covers still touched the floor.

Then after five years, one chill night in September,

Sadly, we once again had to remember

The big bed bug battle about which I’ve written

for under our waistbands once more we were bitten. 

                                                                           October 6, 2020

LITTLE EXPLORER

Little explorer, what has he found?

A car in the driveway he circles around,

Checking to see whether it makes a sound.

He cries, “caw, caw, caw” as he pats it down. 

Little explorer, curious and bold,

He doesn’t always do what he’s told.

The world is all new to him -- he is not old.

He cries “awt, awt, awt” as he pats down the stove. 

Little explorer, for his age he’s tall.

He likes chasing big round things down the long hall.

He better be careful, or else he will fall!

He cries “ball, ball, ball” as they bounce off the wall.

Little explorer is done with his play.

 The sun has gone down, it’s the end of the day.

Snug in his cradle, out of the way,

He sings wordless songs for there’s no more to say.

Sonnet 23 - Rafting on the Colorado

For our guides 

 
Long lines of limestone lie on schist and granite
    like mute cathedrals looming from on high
This river opened up once Powell ran it;
    wise rafting guides now bring us safely by.
 
We admire the rocks that were uplifted
    and through the ages not quite worn away;
grateful for the beauty being gifted,
    briefly, to us on this sunny day.
 
A sacred turquoise river joins the flow
    as sworn to silence we step in the stream.
Small wrens sing us a sweet hymn while we go
    serenely floating as if in a dream.
 
Spiritual moments cloaked in splendor
    are moments that we always will remember. 

 

 

 

                             

Sonnet 22 - The Mentor’s Gift

For Marvin A. Gordon and Frank J. Giuliano, Jr.

What did our mentors leave behind for us?

If only we could ask them for advice!

The problems that we face are serious,

and call for action, more than thinking twice.

They were well-known in this community,

respected for their wisdom and their wealth,

respected for their generosity;

for they thought service mattered more than self.

They weren’t the sort to gladly suffer fools,

but they were good at making a decision.

New elder housing, a temple, and five schools

exist because of their constructive vision.

They left us, on this dark, cold, silent night,

their good example as a guiding light.

Sonnet 21 - A Wedding Wish

       For Jennie and Chris

 

   The sun sets over fairway, tree, and green.

   It flings the day’s last rays, which land by chance

   on a young couple pausing in between

   the happy quick-step at a wedding dance.

   And in that moment they look unafraid,

   with shining eyes and smiles that light each face.

   Both have just heard a wedding promise made,

   and both know soon their own vows will take place.

   But quick steps now can lead to lengthy hikes,

   with thirst that grows beneath the constant sun.

   Grooms water greens before hot weather strikes;

   and love that’s tended lasts for the long run.

   So tend to one another, give and forgive,

   and your love will sustain you as long as you live.

 

Prayers

For the conclusion of the 2020 Stewardship Drive at East Congregational Church of Milton, Mass.

With thanks to Anne Lamott

The times they were painful, and frightening. We felt

as thousands fell ill, and then passed away,

that although church was closed, we still needed to pray

for this quiet and shuttered up world.  Help.

In long-ago times people would wonder how

all through a pandemic we still had been able

to hear the Lord’s word and break bread at God’s table,

joined in from near and from far. With Zoom.  Wow.

Now through this past month we have joined in the ranks

of the saints who gave of their own free will

to relieve the needy, and replenish God’s till,

and our prayers went from Help, to Wow, to Thanks.

Sonnet 20 - Let Us Now Give All Those Good Teachers Praise

For Mary C. Gormley

Let us now give all those good teachers praise

who challenged us as children to work harder,

and be productive citizens today

inspired by their passion and their ardor.

Let’s also praise the counselors and leaders,

who worked through summer, winter, spring and fall;

those dedicated, principled believers

in education being free for all.

And praise the voters and the volunteers

on whose support our schools have been dependent;

the same support that’s proven through the years

that this town trusts its school superintendent.

Now since our public schools are so well run,

this public must say “Thank you” and “Well done!”