I am a plain cake donut
Boring
Unfrosted
Easy to disregard

Unless you look on the inside

There you will find
Bacon
that’s interestingly salty;
Black strap molasses
which adds depth
but isn’t too sweet;
And a single berry
for a blast of the unexpected

Right and left
Up and down
Clockwise
Counterclockwise
I can't see it

Again and
Again and
Again and
    Again

THEY DON’T FIT

I feel my jaw clench
The muscles in my neck tighten
My heart racing
I chew my lips raw

I CANNOT MAKE THIS WORK!

I don’t need to look at the clock
I can feel the second hand spinning in my brain
Faster for me than the others

I WON’T GET THIS DONE IN TIME!

Sweat and tears dampen my face
My table is a mess of materials
None of the parts fit for me the way they do for everyone else
I hate myself and my useless brain

I’M GOING TO FAIL
I’M GOING TO FAIL

"Time’s up
Turn in your projects"

I AM A FAILURE

Again

Home is where your dog sleeps on the couch
Or on your bed
Or wherever he wants

Home is the smell of familiar foods
On predictable days
And the sounds of familiar snores
At predictable times

Home is where you can have pizza and a cookie
For breakfast
Popcorn for lunch,
and pancakes for dinner.

Home is where you know where everything is
Tape is here,
A ladle is there,
And rain boots are in the hall closet

Home is where you hear
Familiar creaks in the floor
and
Slams of the door

Home is your
nest
den
cave
habitat
sanctuary

Daily Report

Morning:
Disheveled
Matted hair from a turbulent night
The angry woman leans over to bite her own arm

Day:
Drool falls in a long sticky stream
Staining the ill-fitting gown
Vacant eyes gaze forward in an unblinking stare
Sometimes her hands shake involuntarily
The restraints rub weeping wounds on her wrists and ankles
Frequently she screams incoherently at everything and nothing
She smells of ***** and infection

Evening:
She delights in having her hair done by the young women on staff
Brightening as they pin, curl, flip, and comb
Next the make-up
Hand-picked shades
From an expensive city boutique
Meticulously applied

Night:
Her face softens as she sleeps.
The moonlight casts a gentle glow,
masking the many wrinkles
Her eyes move beneath the lids
Following a story known only to her

Holy
Sacrifice
Purifies the profane
Our undeserved redeemer is
Sacred

It’s that time of life when….

Your friends’ deaths didn’t come too soon
Your body is no longer as reliable as it was
Your dog dies and you wonder if it’s fair to adopt another
You smile at the first timers asking for senior discounts
You concern yourself far more with comfort than fashion
Words like cantankerous and curmudgeon fit much more snugly
Events in your lifetime appear with increasing frequency on the History Channel
Popular culture is completely unrelatable
All of the food choices you make contain the words “Low” and “Reduced”
Your energy is more potential than kinetic
Teenagers refer to your friends as Nana and Grandpa
Actuarial tables are not your friends
Your investments transition from growth to preservation
Your bucket list takes on a genuine sense of urgency
Because every experience may be the last

When you are free, you will fail
When you are free, you will offend
When you are free, you will be offended
When you are free, you will get lost
When you are free, you will fail
When you are free, you will make stupid mistakes
When you are free, you will hurt yourself
When you are free, you will be challenged by others
When you are free, you trade subservience and victimhood for independence and responsibility.

Are you tough enough to be free?