Keeping Up Spirits

Don't let negative rocks drag you down

Try on a smile and forget to frown

Don’t tighten your lip

Lighten your ship

Set your sail so you don’t sink and drown. 

***

***

Waging Aging

While walking outdoors to exercise my body and refresh my mind, the path ahead led among winter's trees and a footbridge across a spring-fed rill. Presently, a waft of cold, fresh air whooshed by.

"Oh, my goodness! Toby! I'm glad you showed up today. I have missed our talks."

"Me too," he said while taking a swat at his tail.

"Seriously, I want to ask you about something we humans don't talk about much. I need your input."

"Go ahead," he said while sitting back up to listen.

"I've been thinking about The End. Since you're there ahead of me, I wanted to ask you about it. For my end-of-life, I wrote down that I wanted to be cremated, not buried."

"Whoah, stop right there!" he said. "Now that I'm a ghost, I'm fully tuned into The Force. It tells me all sorts of interesting things so I don't have to wait until you're out of the apartment so I can grab the TV remote. Since my Life #9 ended, I looked into the business of cremation and ashes to ashes...by the way, thanks for scattering mine along the fence where I loved to hunt."

"You're welcome, Toby."

"Back to our subject, I learned that you and I are full of plastic, even our brains. So, when you write up your end-of-life wishes, forget cremation. Just have your body put in the Recycle Bin."

"What about the other two Rs: Reuse and Reduce?"

"Nah," he said. "You'll want Recycle. Like mine, your body has too many worn-out, broken parts to Reuse. It's too late to Reduce; you're already born."

"Hmmm. Thanks for the advice, Toby."

His ghost shape-shifted into Toby-Wan Kenobi and said, "May the Force Be with You."

A puff of wind dusted my cheek. Then, all that was left was the winter sunshine and bare trees.

***

***

And from the Waging Aging Department...

"Aging is the extraordinary process whereby you become the person you always should have been." --David Bowie

What Can I Do?

Grab a banned book

sit in a nook

turn on a light

and make it bright

prop up your feet

to make a seat

so perhaps your cat

will sit on your lap

while you turn pages

and the story engages

your attention...

it's important to mention...

you're helping resist

the book Endangered Species list.

        --JM

Is your library card up to date?

***

Hello Again

***

Wage Peace

Three hundred sixty-six days, including the leap day, February 29th of 2024, have been completed. Our time-keeping solar orbit is on its first day of 2025. As we time-travel today and the year ahead, I wish you a...

In memory of Jimmy Carter.

Elegy for Toby

The day after...

it's so quiet
As morning's occupations
and ablutions take place,
the reminders tumble forth...
your feline voice
that made its morning greeting
when the bedroom door swung open
and you wound your way
around my ankles
with murmurs of affection and hunger
as you fit your day
into mine.

It's the little things.
The care to avoid stepping
on your foot or tail
when prepping our
foodstuffs in the kitchen,
yet this morning the floor is bare
of the food and water dish,
and you.

The nearness we shared
at each others' sides...
during our days and evenings,
when you perched or snuggled
within arm's reach
for a random stroke,
sometimes a visit on my lap.

At my elbow, there's no 
eager windowsill companion
as birdseed and peanuts
are tossed out to the waiting
birds and squirrels.

The brush sitting on your carpet tree
lies quiet with hairs from
your orange, tiger-patterned coat
still caught among its bristles.

No evidence of activity
have disturbed the sands
of your litter,
the door to its space closed,
its chore concluded.

As the end came for your body,
tears muddled my vision,

my heart filled again
with affection and love
for the little fella,
my friend.

Many, many small reminders will fill
the rest of this day and time ahead--
when morning's birdseed and peanuts
are flung out the window,
or our space together
on the couch beckons,
it's the little reminders,
that will welcome
a mind and heart visit with Toby

my feline companion
who sometimes shape-shifted
into a dog or Toby Wan Kenobi.

            --JM

***