overnight

operation

cutting onions

for tomorrow’s curry

…

success

in the eyes

of our audience

of our peers

of our parents

of ourselves

is all subjective

personality test

crossing off

another item

from the list

…

to truly know

ourselves

takes time

for us to look

inwards and outwards

before we find and come

to any conclusions

callus

putting on

the helmet

one last ride

…

the journey

takes a toll

as our body

of work shows

what we have

accomplished

and failed at

state of mind

flowing down

the riverbed

winter daphnes

…

when we put

action and agency

into making an idea

into reality

time will feel

like it’s passing by

without us noticing

dip the hip

ski slopes

onto the next

marathon

…

the more

we watch

professionals

the more

we realize

their talent and technique

is something to behold

in the weeds

squirrels run

out in the backyard

looking for lost acrons

…

we will find

much to do

yet so little time

for the garden

is full of flowers

that need water

and our attention

aligned

shore song

the ebb and flow

catching seashells

…

the feeling

we feel

when it seems

as if the stars

are all aligned

is a feeling many chase

but few experience

cut the pie

slicing pizza

a piece of pineapple

surfs across cheese

…

then we will

be able to

visually see

how much

time or energy

we spend on

areas of our lives

organize

kitchen pantry

plastic containers hold

tomorrow’s dessert

…

categorize

put labels on

is a way

to make sense

of the world

around us and

how we interact with it

recent

glistening

the front lawn

after morning showers

…

is somewhere

and closer

to being new and now

than it is being old

and yet

today’s trends too

will be a thing of the past

walk with us

the wind

whistles between

the mountains

…

our path taken

is and always

will be a choice

we must make

to go down what we know

or to make a new one

for ourselves and others

substitutes

early morning

warm sushi rice bathes in

apple cider vinegar

…

or replacements

whatever we want

to call them

may make the difference

between a good or bad

cookbook recipe to even

a sports team winning or losing

mixed bag

movie theater

popcorn and tickets

roll after credits

…

from critics

to supporters

at the end

of the day

are part of

the same audience

of the art we create

layers

flannel jacket

catching snowflakes

in the garden

…

we can

always put on

more clothes

to feel warm

but can only

take off so much

to cool down

genie

rustling leaves

a squirrel searches

for tree nuts

…

we wish

for wishes

to come true

and sometimes

they do

and sometimes

they don’t

who made it

toothbrush

the last defense

against popcorn

…

the creator

of any art

is a label

that will stay

with it forever

until future generations

forget and need to look things up

album cover

rubber plant

a stroke of green

across leaves

…

just like a

book cover

packaging

matters for us

to get a glimpse

of what is inside

and waiting to be explored

put it down

living room

the lamp appears

when asked

…

then pick it up

then put it down again

then pick it up again

sometimes all we need

is a little time away

for us to get out

of a mental rut

bubble wrap

plastic box

we can see

a circus inside

…

sometimes

it pays to have

and take safety

precautions

and extra measures

when we plan out

our next move

bug trap

blue light

even darkness can’t

escape the hue

…

the mission

is simple

the task

is impossible

when we fail

to put time in

to setting things up