Poem for Monday

Grandfather
By Lorine Niedecker

Grandfather
        advised me:
                Learn a trade.

I learned
        to sit at desk
                and condense.

No layoff
        from this
                condensery.

--------

Another from Poet's Choice by Edward Hirsch in Sunday's Washington Post Book World on the bond between grandparents and grandchildren. Hirsch describes "Grandfather" as "really an ironic pretext for a lyric about the homemade art and craft of writing poetry."

Most of today was devoted to getting ready for the family Chanukah party and then attending the family Chanukah party. I wrote a couple of articles in the morning to get them out of the way, went shopping for gifts for the gift exchange; I punted and got both the 9- and 18-year-old girls Blockbuster cards with candy and microwave popcorn, so they could have movie nights, but while the older one was quite excited, I think the younger one would have preferred a microfiber blouse like her older cousin got or one of those squishy pillows like her younger cousin got. I also got tape for my son's school project that we had thought was due Wednesday but is in fact due tomorrow; while I was shopping, was at home helping him decorate a coffee can to look like a character from Weird Stories from the Lonesome Cafe.

By the time we headed out for the party, it was snowing hard, the first real snow of the year; it stuck a bit to the grass, but not to the roads, so we are hoping school opens at the usual time tomorrow, but it was absolutely gorgeous to watch as we drove. The party was a lot of fun -- my kids and their friend disappeared down the basement as soon as we arrived and played down there nearly the entire time, meaning that I got to talk to my older cousins and great-aunt and uncle whom I only see a few times a year. This is my father's father's brother and his wife, their two daughters and spouses, each of their daughters' two daughters ranging in age from 7-19, their first cousins on the other side of the family (my great-aunt's siblings' kids) and their spouses and children. I stuffed my face on Thai hors d'oeuvres, Swedish meatballs, latkes and Muenster cheese and couldn't even eat any of the donuts we brought, nor the joint birthday cake for all the December babies, including me.

Was bitten by schmoopy Lucius/Severus bunny and had to write this for : "Old Time's Sake". Yeah. Schmoopy. Lucius. *hides* fic has been sent off -- big gushy thanks to my betas and readers, , , and -- I cannot thank you in the fic at present, as it would probably give away who wrote it, so I shall thank you here!


On the ground in front of my son's friend's house when we dropped him off at home after the party, patches of white.


On the grass, not much, though more than stuck to the street. It was in the 40s when it started snowing so nothing stuck; tomorrow however it is supposed to be in the low teens in the morning.


Inside the branches were decorated with dreidels, not snow. Should I tell my mother this counts as a Chanukah bush?


Driving by the shopping center, real snowflakes float in the light of the lamps in front of the grocery store decorated with fake snowflakes.

and led me here, and of course I had to get:


Major Kira Nerys - Yes, you have a right to be
angry, but do you constantly have to exercise
it on the rest of the crew?
Which Star Trek First Officer Are You?
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