Colonoscopy

day before

liquid diet

hot tea

clear soda

chicken broth

slow day

stay busy

ignore hunger

watch TV

nasty medication

severe cramping

bathroom sprints

colonic purging

more TV

restless night

next morning

four o’clock

feel empty

repeat medication

severe cramping

bathroom sprints

colonic purging

stop drinking

wife drives

arrive clinic

smiling nurses

checked in

assembly line

waiting waiting

me next

IV prepped

anesthetist talking

voice fades

dream time

wake up

it’s done

thank God

feel woozy 

bum sore

doc talking

no cancer

polyp photos

no posting

next visit

three years

wife arrives

drive home

weigh myself

lost pounds

crazy diet

drink tea

eat food

more food

drink tea

more food

weigh myself

nothing lost

except polyps

Cinquain poetry

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I stumbled upon cinquain poetry. 

Five lines with the following rules; 

The first line is one word which is the title of the poem. 

The second line contains two words which are adjectives that describe the title. 

The third line has three words that tell the reader more about the subject of the poem or show action.  Many times these words are gerunds that end with “ing.”

The fourth line has four words that show emotions about the subject of the poem and may be individual words or a phrase. 

The fifth line is one word that is a synonym of the title or is very similar to it.

Example(not mine)

Castle

Strong, beautiful

Imposing, protecting, watching

Symbolizes wealth and power

Fortress 

………….

Here are my first attempts:

Berlin

cute, vibrant 

chilling, shopping, dining

America’s coolest small town

home

……………………………

Karen

cute, adorable

laughing, playing, dancing

a bundle of fun

wife

Jolly Old England

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Jolly old England was once my home

Warm beer and cloudy skies

Always carry an umbrella

If it’s not raining now

It will soon be raining

Put the kettle on for tea

Small houses and small cars

Small roads and small towns

Friendly pubs on every corner

A true island mentality

Briefly married to Europe

Now messily divorced

Europeans are again officially foreigners

Bathed in history but frozen in time

Fiercely traditional and sentimental

Put the kettle on for tea

Take a walk in the countryside

Find a nice cafe for tea and cake

Go home and put the kettle on for tea

Watch the football on TV

Swallow your daily dose of TV soap opera

Mow your lawn on Sundays

Wash your car in your driveway

Everybody likes DIY

Put the kettle on for tea

No need for health insurance

Healthcare is free

But you pay for it with taxes

Summers are short but treasured

Cricket matches on the village green

We invented the game

But rarely beat other counties

Stop playing to drink tea at 4pm

Stop playing when it rains

Stop playing when its too cloudy

Do cricket matches ever end

Last orders at the pub

Fish and chips on the way home

Put the kettle on for tea

God save the queen

My feet

My feet…….. 

my best assets 

Take me anywhere

Escape from danger

Bring me home

Dance to music

Pedal my bike

Keep me vertical

never ever complain

Kicked many footballs

Scored some goals

Footsie with cuties

Hide in shoes

Sleep naked nightly

Walk every day

Like resting up

Never get smelly

Only once pedicured

Crossed when resting

Don’t like tickling 

Run like crazy

Help me swim

Hide in socks

Fill my boots

Paddle in sea

Dive in first

Big size tens

his tea went cold

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the sun came up on a beautiful summer morning

he watched the spectacle from his bedroom

his wife slept soundly

she wore an eye pillow to prevent light waking her

he got up, moving slowly to not disturb her

hot tea was his priority

taking his tea out to the deck so he could look over the water

ospreys were flying in the bay

watching the ospreys nest building

laying twigs on a platform in the bay

the couple worked in relays

relentlessly adding more to the nest

some of the twigs fell into the water

they were undeterred

they kept building in relays

flying back to a tree on the waterline

landing on a fixed branch

then taking off and ripping it off the tree

sometimes the branches were really big

the bird could hardly fly with it

but they kept on going

the instinct to reproduce is intense

they wanted to make a nest

they wanted to raise babies

his thoughts wandered

he went back inside the bedroom

gently arousing his wife with a kiss

“it’s too early in the morning” she screamed

she rolled over and buried her face in the covers

he went back outside to watch the nest building

his tea was cold

the ospreys continued to nest-build

he threw away the cold tea

made another hot cup

went inside to watch sports on TV

he put the TV on max volume

soon after she started to text

“turn it down”

he turned off the TV

went for a walk

He met a beautiful lady walking

they got talking about ospreys

he never returned home

the ospreys raised a family

His tea never went cold again

Just another day

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Another sunrise 

Just another day

People waking

Bleary-eyed

Rushing to work

Oblivious of nature 

Consumed by consumerism 

Blinded by television 

Deafened by commercials

Accepting corporate lobotomy 

Chasing the next dollar

There are some who:

Stop to look

Ponder in awe

Savor the moment

Appreciate the beauty 

Feel the love

Embrace the joy

Experience simple pleasures

Listen to music

Appreciate art

Make intelligent conversations 

Share genuine feelings 

Nibble real chocolate 

Sip fine wines

Give strong hugs

Love their friends

Know what matters

Volunteer their time

Care for nature

Talk to animals

Leave a legacy 

Phobias

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Fear is a basic human emotion. It can be instinctive like not wanting to be part of the food chain in the jungle or more societal as in the fear of being rejected by a group or an individual.  We love to put labels on everything which has led to a wide range of fears being called phobias.  Here are the most common phobias:

Arachnophobia – Fear of spiders

Ophidiophopbia –  Fear of snakes

Acrophobia – Fear of heights

Some unusual ones:

Xanthophobia –   Fear of the color yellow

Turophobia – Fear of cheese

Coulrophobia –  Fear of clowns

Does this mean that people who are afraid of yellow dressed clowns eating cheese are suffering from Xanthoturocoulrophobia?

Let’s assume you have a very unusual phobia like the fear of being given the wrong change in a store on Thursdays when its raining. Your Doctor tells you that there is no name for your phobia but to come back in two weeks while he applies for phobia registration.  

However, you really  want to share your phobia with friends or new people you meet at a cocktail party. It’s pretty cool to say you have changowetthursphobia but less exciting to say there is no name for it.   You are probably wise to avoid meeting anybody until you get your phobia name from your doctor.

It could start a whole new way of finding your ideal partner- 

speedphobia dating, matchphobia.com and newphobiabeginnings.  

If it’s raining on a wet Thursday, just remember to give the exact amount of money for your in-store purchases.

temporary custodians

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Kids are very perceptive

They pick up on things

Even when you try and shield them from harm

I remember being in New York on 9/11

My kids were at school in Manhattan 

They were teenagers and well informed

It was easy to tell them what was happening

They saw TV images of the towers collapsing

After multiple showings I unplugged the TV

There was no need for them to see it over and over

We discussed what was going on

That was the easy part of parenting

But then came the difficult questions

Why did people deliberately crash planes into buildings

Its hard to answer the why when you do not know yourself

I feel for those with young children today

Trying to make them feel safe

After seeing such graphic violent scenes

From the Capital on Jan 6th

They will naturally want to know why

Any well thought out but slightly lame answer 

Will prompt them to ask why again

After three or four whys from them

You will run out of facts to share

Opinions will start to come out

Sharing your opinions shapes the way your kids see the world

They are the citizens of the future

We are simply temporary custodians

Our job is to not to screw it all up for them

the ultimate snowbird

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summer has peaked

mornings are crisp

heavy dew lingers

waiting to be burned off

but the sun is hungover

from intense summer partying

he sleeps in longer now

rising late from the ocean with a weary yawn

creeping further south each day

making a smaller arc across the sky

depositing less daily energy on these lands

than he did the day before

he is the ultimate snowbird

heading south for the winter

in a few short months

we shall follow him