september 30th

today is thursday
the second day of my retirement

woke up at 7:30.
made the coffee
brushed my teeth
went to the bathroom

took my prozac
and my high chloresterol medicine.
hmmm

it's raining pretty heavily outside

did my centering prayer in my back room
so many thoughts
hard to do
did it for a half an hour.

worked out for 45 minutes
jane fonda low impact aerobics
i seem to be able to do that
my knees were okay.

ate my breakfast
cold cereal and milk.

called the drugstore
and reorderded my high blood pressure medicine.

have to go see the mental doctor at 3 o'clock for
my six month check up.

murphy has to go to the dog doctor at 4 o'clock
john is taking him.

made it to the library at 11:30
read all the newpapers
the times had sn interesting article
a reader that you can attach to your cell
phone that will accept charge cards and put
the money in your account.
i like that.




Meghan stopped whirling and the earth was
still spinning under her feet

she held her arms out horizontally to steady herself
and tried to walk

her arms flailed up and down and she tried to
steady herself

she thought she heard her mother calling in the
distance and meghan tried to focus her eyes in the
direction of her house but she was so dizzy that her
ears and eyes weren't working properly

her ears were hearing the faint callings of her mother
but her eyes just couldn't focus.

she called out, "I'm coming mom. I'll be right there.
But her words just hung in the air. like imaginary
clothespins on a line.

the wind was beginning to pick up and meghan's red hair
was flying in her face.
a wisp of a curl landed in her mouth when she called out to her mother
and the hair stuck between her lips.

she brushed her mouth with her right hand and squinted her
eyes in the direction of the farm.

she could make out her mother standing on the porch.

She yelled out again, "I'm coming mom. I'm coming."
but there was no sound in the air.

"that's funny," Meghan thought. "why can't I hear myself."

she heard the wind. she smelled the lilacs. she saw the dust,
but her words were silent.

meghan wasn't moving anymore
she was closer to her mother now
she seemed to have floated the
distance betwen her and her mother
and the two women looked at each other.

"Meghan, where are you?"

"I'm right here, mom, don't you see me?"

"Meghan, where was that child?"

Molly, looked at the whirring dustbowl coming
down the road. She blinked her eyes and shook
her head from side to side. the smell of lilacs
was overpowering. she breathed it in and closed
her eyes. Meghan was close. she knew that.