Daydreams echo in my head,
I’m awake and not in bed.
The house is clean and uncluttered.
I am rested and unflustered.
While Ron and I stay late asleep,
The boys into the kitchen creep.
They make their breakfast everyday
and then put all they’ve used away.
I throw the laundry in to wash
and put up
3 dishes cleaned of pizza sauce.
Ron takes a shower and grabs food to eat
and kisses me on the way out. How sweet.
His office is here at our place,
but he still pretends to go and race.
He locks the door; has his own phone.
We act as if he isn’t home.
The house sits on a plot of land
t see neighbors from where I stand.
The trees are thick, the water near.
We spend a lot of time out here.
The boys are learning French today
so we go to the creek and play.
I know the words for everything
and even know some songs to sing.
When we get home we make lunch together,
soup, salad, queso, depending on the kind of weather.
We did two science experiments
and made two sets of artsy prints.
We go out to the library and book store.
We thumb through books and read galore.
I find a biography of a man I admire.
The boys borrow books on space, dinos, and spires.
Tomorrow’s Spanish. That’s a thrill.
It’s a tongue I love and always will.
The boys are learning it quite well
and listen to the tales I tell.
Tomorrow we’ll go to the nursing home
and visit the residents and roam
the halls wide seeking out
someone who doesn’t get about.
I’ll give to them the art we made
and sit with them in a slice of shade
and tell them of the things we’ve learned
and all the accolades we’ll someday earn.
When we get home, the house is neat.
I sit down and read––a treat.
The boys go play a video game.
It’s something good. I forget the name.
Then I start supper cooking
and make sure my face is still nice looking.
When Ron comes home it is a joy.
He spends time with me and with each boy.
Some friends are coming over for dinner.
I’ve made enchiladas. They’ll be a winner.
We’ve plenty of seats for everyone
and while grownups talk the kids will run.
Once the boys are fast asleep
I go to the grocery store to creep
down the aisles searching avidly
for the food we’ll all eat happily.
We have no debts. Our bills are met.
When we need something, it’s not hard to get.
When the grocery shopping’s done
I take the food and head for home.
Ron comes out and helps carry in.
Then we both go read in the den.
At eleven or twelve we head for bed
–in the daydreams in my head.

1998-1999