June 5, 2021

I'm coming off a week of staycation:

Have some pity, patience and grace.

I don't do real well with the time or space,

Lost in the toggle's tipping point

Between being off and on.

The lights blinked through the days,

From computer, watch and phone,

Reminding me I am never alone,

Needed if not immediately,

Wanted if everyone was gone.

How do others do it,

Settle into a retiring routine

Of golf, gardens or sunscreen?

I paced the rooms, peered through blinds,

And stifled way too many yawns.

Too much time waiting

For a wife's letter

("can't we make it just a little better"),

A car's flat tire,

A contracted shed, to be done.

My neighbors amused me

In ways probably uncharitable:

That tattered Trump sign long past irritable,

The garage sale clearly not started

Despite every car slowing at her lawn.

Through it all I remain distant,

Unsure of how much I can charm,

Trade, or give of a leg or arm.

In the safety of my fortress

I reserve for cards perhaps never drawn.

Another week I may not get back,

Especially if Monday drains

And brings its usual pains.

Leave me to the dime store novels

And endless array of pop songs.