Four Seasons

winter was harsh withholding affection

spring withdrew for her own protection

summer bloomed with her selection

autumn slipped in without detection

(c)2020 by Catherine Elder

Today pandemic world

self isolate

stay in place

wear a mask

on your face

work from home

if you work at all

get on zoom

or take a call

kids stay in

get home school

madness reigns

now who’s the fool

download lessons

follow the plan

homework mess

no one’s a fan

nothing else to do

so people protest

the mask the distance

hard to digest

nurses risk their life

appreciate health care

salute their efforts

still not fair

seniors lay dying

in long term beds

we ignored it before

now we shake our heads

send in the military

and what they find

we haven’t done right

now we need to mind

businesses are closing

they can’t survive

no clientele

streets not alive

to connect

everything online

personal touch

is an emoji sign

people grow afraid

and show their fear

they start to hate

then they don’t hear

domestic violence

is on the rise

depression and drinking

and someone cries

police power play

in the news

racist and mean

light the fuse

bullies and prejudice

beat and oppress

till someone can’t breathe

in their distress

blame the government

blame all the cops

blame the monuments

pull out all the stops

feed the anger

kindle the fear

their’s no room to hug

distance adhere

things need to change

we have no doubt

we can close the door

lock it all out

or open our hearts

listen to what we hear

care for each other

calm our fears

let hope in

nurture with kindness

be good to each other

try open mindness

we have something to offer

look out for each other

share empathic smiles

we’re sisters and brothers

how are you doing

I’m just fine

do you need anything

I don’t mind

I’m going to the store

going to stand in line

well please keep safe

and be kind

(c)2020 Catherine Elder

Light Dark

you say

how do you deal 

with the contrast

of dark to light

how do you

manage in the dark

and I remind you

that when you

turn out the lights

it is hard to see

but when your eyes adjust

you can make your way

and when you go out

into the bright sunshine

you hold up your hand

to block the rays

until your eyes adjust

and you see your way

fear not the light

fear not the dark

for you will adjust

and make your way

(c)2020 Catherine Elder

Is it hot enough for you?

When I was little

people would ask

Is it hot enough for you?

in the summer when it hit

over 80 degrees Fahrenheit

like we’d put in an order

or turned a knob

Is it hot enough for you?

When they started using 

the phrase

Global Warming

people didn’t take it seriously

people said scientist were

being dramatic

and if there was any truth

to it it was a long way off

didn’t affect us

wasn’t our problem

They showed us starving 

polar bears

their ice sheets melting

so they can’t reach

hunting grounds

and everyone thought

that was very sad

but it was a long way off

and didn’t affect us

so it wasn’t our problem

Heat waves crash in

over 160 degree Fahrenheit

in India

Is it hot enough for you?

brown outs

air conditioning accounts for

ten per cent of electrical grid

for now

droughts, then wild fires

mud slides as nothing to hold it back

but it was mostly somewhere else

and didn’t affect us

so we sent some money to people

and it wasn’t our problem

Warm air carries more water

hurricanes become more severe

and come more often

so we say we’ll rebuild

rather than change our ways

Is it hot enough for you?

(c) 2020 - by Catherine Elder

Broken pieces

slowly she puts the broken pieces of porcelain

former tea cups and plates that in longevity earned a crack

discarded when no longer perfect

now broken into smaller pieces

so that she can place them to make a table top

the beauty shines through in disconnected shards

for someone to enjoy again

remarking on the cleverness of re-using

something that would be refuse

they collected coloured glass

along the beach littered with driftwood

spotting it like a hawk to a rodent

they swoop down and snatch it up

clear, blue, green, rarer red

add it to their collection

perhaps in a jar on a prominent shelf

or maybe to add to clay bowls

shining it up so the silica glistens

pick us up, our broken pieces

hearts, souls and minds

craft us into something new

so we can be loved

polish us so that we shine

put us together so we fit

and people will marvel

at our beauty and ingenuity

that our cracks do not show

(c)2020 by Catherine Elder

Counted

One, two, three

Why don’t you look at me?

Four, five, six

I’m tired of your tricks

Seven, eight, nine

I don’t want to hear your line

I need someone I can count on

Someone who’s not movin’ on

Someone who’ll divide sorrows

Be with me for all our tomorrows

Who’ll double joys to share

Who’ll take added care

I’ve been managing on my own

You won’t even pick up the phone

This is where our equation ends

We don’t even equal friends

One, two, three

Why don’t you look at me?

Four, five, six

I’m tired of your tricks

Seven, eight, nine

I don’t want to hear your line

I need someone I can count on

Someone who’s not movin’ on

Someone who’ll divide sorrows

Be with me for all our tomorrows

Who’ll double joys to share

Who’ll take added care

(c) 2020 by Catherine Elder

I'm sorry

Maybe I was nascent

or just too complacent

I couldn’t see

in front of me

they were just words

that weren’t heard

Residential schools

Polluted pools

Indian reserves

get what you deserve

tax free and alcohol

don’t break the fall

treaties broken

anger spoken

language forbidden

punishment given

removals and relocation

culture re-allocation

assimilate

annihilate

exterminate

is it too late

racist slurs

suppression burs

back doors

slanted floors

pushed back

accepted lack

stolen and chained

whipped and maimed

free blood labour

unwanted neighbour

slave

blood paved

freedom earned

crosses burned

poverty cage

unfairness rage

Maybe we can relate

there doesn’t need to be hate

Pain crosses thresholds

not competitions or molds

together we can heal

share how we feel

be kind

commonness find

let go of fear

start to hear

really see

our beauty

open our eyes

peel back the lies

start to hear

through the fear

be better together

a new forever

never again

alone in pain

open arms

come to no harm

equal and seen

forward from where we’ve been

(c)2020 by Catherine Elder

FIVE

She wears pink dresses and a crown

she’s five and no one has let her down

He wears a blanket for a cape

and runs to make his escape

she’s a princess, he’s a super hero

and the places they go

always have rainbows

there must be pirate treasure in the woods

and there’s magic in their neighbourhood

there are flying horses and unicorns

kittens and puppies newly born

there’s a chocolate fountain

and a sugar mountain

they spend their days dreaming

and some of it scheming

to be the best they can be

from all that they see

they expect to be loved

they expect to rise above

they believe in Santa Claus

that everyone obeys the laws

if they’re good they’ll get a reward

treasures or a magic sword

that life is theirs to play

sleep is just a dream away

anything is possible

take everything at a run

life is meant for dreaming

days are meant for having fun

let their imagination run wild

its only once you’re a child

(c)2020 by Catherine Elder

Time past

the wind blows hot

the wind blows cold

first you’re young

now you’re old

you had a dream

to fulfill

now all you have

is a pile of bills

the sun comes up

the sun goes down

this old world

keeps spinning around

what happened

you don’t even know

you were wild and free

with places to go

but you entered the cage

of responsibility

tangled with routine

for respectability

this is not where

you wanted to be

when you were young

so young and free

(c)2020 by Catherine Elder

I never knew

I never knew

a father could look at a daughter with love

that he could stand behind her

gently guide her

I never knew

that a father would want to know

how a daughter is doing

show interest in her life 

I never knew

what a father was

except insults and disdain

neglect and shame

I never knew

a father could show pride

in what a daughter did

in who a daughter was

I never knew

a father would hug

and hold tight in a storm

without judgement

I never knew

a family that didn’t judge

that thought of me first

and made sure I was safe

I never knew

a family that was interested

in who I am

and what I do

I never knew

a family’s love

of hugs and good wishes

instead of chores and dishes

I never knew

a home sanctuary

no hate or bitterness

just acceptance

I never knew

(c) 2020 by Catherine Elder