“Busyness” 4×4, oil on canvas, framed
I wasn’t sure if any busy little bees would make it into this 31, but now with this freeze approaching and the promise (threat?) of Mississippi snow, I’m reimagining being busy.
I Can’t Today
I’m all tied up with this quiet living room fire
seeing how high the flames can dance,
which colors are the brightest
closing my eyes, watching them still shimmy
in the darkness behind my lids
I’ve got a 9 am with the taste of a
sliced strawberry in my cereal
sudden and sweet
My ongoing project is investigating
which of my blankets is the warmest
how many socks I can wear at one time
and how long it takes the skin on my fingers
to shrivel in the warmth of a bath
I’ve got the smell of chicken soup simmering
later this afternoon
and that usually takes awhile
as I’ve been tasked with
discerning each flavor as steam
rises from the stove
Last, and I’m not sure when I’ll fit it in,
I simply must listen to my husband
pluck a few guitar strings,
Let them pick at the silence–
Like a– I don’t know–
I still have to make that line
Into a simile
The next time a friend calls,
Says, how have you been?
I’ll tell her God’s honest truth:
Busy. I’ve been so busy.