Raising the Bar

The bar has been raised,

The ladder climbs high in the sky

Nervously I cling to the next rung,

afraid my hand might slip,

and I might fall short

of the high expectations.

Feeling the rung below with my foot, 

I check to make sure my footing is secure,

I reach up, grasping carefully,

Secure my footing again,

reaching for the next rung,

hoping I can climb the tall ladder,

placed before me.

In the middle of my climb,

I am asked to pull my peers up, too,

nudge them along,

help them climb this sky scraping ladder

Kids are on this ladder, too,

No longer climbing the kid ladder of the jungle gym,

they, too, must climb the grown up sky scraping ladder,

Make the grade,

Pass the tests,

Walk the walk,

Manage themselves,
stay the course,
letting go of child's play.

I have farther to fall,

I have a great distance to climb,

and I must carry others with me.

Please don't let the ladder topple over.

Middle School Drama

I have a theory
I told the middle school teacher
who was spending her summer
working at a boutique
that middle school teachers
act like middle schoolers.

We gossip and get caught up in drama.
We don't accept differences
and meet others where they are.
Arrested development,
trying to work out our own,
lifelong drama.

Shocked, she responded that my theory
matched hers, and she had never heard
someone with the same theory.
We exchanged emails,
so we could support one another
from afar as we both take on a new role,
leading departments.

This year I resolve to not be typecasted
in the middle school drama,
by playing well with others even when challenged,
by rising above the negative talk--instead seeking solutions
by not judging others even when I feel judged,
by fleeing from conversations that I can't change to positive, and
by dissuading others from tearing down kids by focusing on the positive and the potential.

Only then can I avoid being typecasted
as I take on a new role,
releasing myself
from the shackles
of arrested development.

I Don't Want to Write

 The alarm sounds late Monday night.
It's time to write my Tuesday post.
Too tired--I'll do it tomorrow.

Tuesday comes.
Check up at the doctor's office--
I begin my villanelle
as I wait--really?
A villanelle in the waiting room--
like I'm going to finish that!

In the afternoon,
the migraine knocks me out.
I am in bed all day.
I can't write.

Minutes left for my Tuesday slice.
I must slice.
Last week on vacation,
I did not slice.
I must slice.

Vacation gave me inspiration.
The waves. The beach. The kids.
Cumberland Island. Driftwood Beach.
Special times with my husband.
Sunrise.

Running off a sandbar
with my niece and laughing
with the reckless abandon of a child.

Tonight my head hurts
as I think about inspiration.

The motions of my fingers
on the keyboard.
No controlling idea--
just a jumbling of thoughts.

Maybe next week
maybe tomorrow
Summer devoid
of routine and the remnants of the migraine
making my brain too tired--
I don't want to write.

And I call myself a writer...

Everyday Annoyances

The plastic geese across the street
patriotic ribbons adorn their necks
complete with stars and stripes,
sentries across the front lawn
A patriotic noose for the birds'
"independence" celebration.

Summer reading program
at the local library
showing R. L. Stein movies
on the TV screen
just above the shelves
of my daughter's requested author
of children's literature.
My head interrupts the movie
as I guitiily search for a book.
Our local library journey distracted
by a loud movie  based on
the "literature" for the 
summer "reading" program.

The "like" button on Facebook
doesn't make sense.
No, I don't "like"
that a friend has resigned,
that a child has died,
that I am home with a sick child throwing up.
How is it that these posts get a thumbs up?
Perhaps it is the hope for the future,
the joining of humanity,
or something else that compels
people to press "like" when
another button is really needed.

Every day I find
the everyday error
of the words "every" and "day" joined
when that is not correct.
Why this grates my nerves so,
I do not know?
The confusion of an adverb with an adjective?
The syntax error of the meaning of something that happens
each day versus something that is common.
I move we join the words for good
and my everyday annoyances
will lessen.

Perhaps I'll buy some geese
and let them sit with me on the sofa, 
and watch a bad movie
based on a bad book,
so that my everyday stressors
will not happen everyday (error intentional).
I'll post about it on FB,
and you can like my status and
give it a thumbs up.