sweetheart redux

I watched TV Through birth, death and taxes When I was the addendum Or when it was my own mother Or my own uterus An organ saddled with far-reaching expectations And sickness I watched TV. People came and people went and still I watched TV. In the hospital, a woman named Holly and I watched Hours of this thing called Special Victims Unit Every day Even though a Vietnam Vet with delusions of grandeur Begged us to change the station. I watched TV every day of Summer Vacation for pretty much My entire childhood but I vowed that the next day I Would stop, That I would take a walk or something, But I hardly ever did. Special Victims Unit Hello there! I'm writing every day lately, but none of it is of a quality where I'd want others to read it! Still, I want to keep the momentum going, so here I am reposting something originally posted back in 2017. Why not? xox 

South Pasadena It’s always the same. Well, more or less. I always – Almost always – Envy the healthy older men – Clear retirees – So secure, And the smooth-haired younger Women exiting their Well-washed Volvos etc Whenever I make my brief sojourn from The parking lot to the ATM In the nearby rich neighborhood That Mom and I always – Almost always – Admired through the bus window when I Was a kid. I will almost always Think of her When I hear Prince on the radio Because she texted me last year “Did you know Prince died?  Only 57, how sad.” And then she died the next month. On the radio I’ll hear the song about his wary Admiration of a loose woman or the one where He just wants to party his sadness away And I’ll think of how surprising and sweet it was that Mom cared about his death –  she of the Beatles And Vivaldi. ...