Thank You I-95 for the 90-Minute Return Home Last Night to Go Five Miles. One Lane. Construction. But Construction. Just Orange Cones

Of course on the last class of the semester, I finished at 7, talked with students until 7:30, and head home to sit in a parking lot. I was in the far left lane, too, so no way to move right to exit for an alternative root. I just rolled my eyes and went with it. I could have technically slept in today, but knew I wouldn't. I need to be on the ready to pivot back to Syracuse should I be needed.

I liked yesterday's prompt for creating instructions for #VerseLove and after a hike (where I found a golden duck), I came back to simply capture what April mornings are like for me as I put myself in the poetic seat. I'm miserable in the morning, but I do marinate on what I might write until my brain gets in gear. Mostly I spend morning consuming the thoughts of others (through reading...not through talking... definitely not in the morning. Just keep quiet).

I'm sending all my good vibes to Central New York to be with family this morning, and will sit home awaiting news by the phone. I do have a few days of meetings galore, but I'm keeping all my options open, just in case. I did get all the laundry put away yesterday, so that was a step in the right direction. 

And I'm heading into grading mode. The sooner I get them off the plate the better for summer plans (which includes 200+ kids on campus). 

In the meantime, the 28th #VerseLove26 poem. 

April Instructions for Punxsutawney Phil 

b.r. crandall

Wake up 20-minutes

before an alarm

& hate the startling

process of 

morning shadows.

Give a middle finger

to the world & tell

the universe

to go %@#$ 

itself.

You need coffee first. 

Dog out. Dog in. 

Yogurt. Granola. Fruit. 

#VerseLove. Prompt.

Thoughts.

Doom-scroll subscriptions 

to international outlets

reporting the demise

of humanity. 

Play lay your games.

Audio…1st five letters.

Sing Nants ingonyama 

bagithi baba / Sithi uhhmm ingonyama

with feet firmly planted on 

cold, linoleum tile

while mediating 

social behavior with a joy 

for  deleting emails, 

texts, & messages.

Take a Walk. 

Ignore the leaf-blowers - 

men who love having 

tools in their hands. 

Peacocks. (the same ones 

that mess with mufflers).

Contemplate life.

Look for birds.

See new roadkill.

Reflect. 

It will

become 

a poem.