exactly one year
in this house
and this day
was similar to
many many other days
and i think that
is the point
new house
June 4, 2022
hammock days
(the relax, not the circus)
under the mosquito net
on top of the shade umbrella
a perfect
Bronx
morning
~~~
it feels weird
writing morning
poems
on a deck
so far from
the regular
place
but fuck it,
it’s
lovely
~~~
the soft netting
weaves
in the breeze
(you don’t need to find any metaphors,
comparisons
or similes
that it is like;
it is just itself)
the bird calls
intermingle
with the spotify playlist
of classical
(or indie)
(or ‘garden music’)
(whatever that means)
and the netting hides us from
the other creatures
who call our yard
home
~~~
is the mosquito netting
hiding us
from the squirrels and birds and other such wildlife
or are the animals simply getting used to our
presence?
(or does it matter
when the morning
is this
damn
gorgeous
?)
~~~
and what of the sun
not shaded
by the umbrella?
(to burn
or not to burn,
that is the question.)
(and sunscreen is
the answer)
March 7, 2022
it feels
like spring
today
wild flowers
blossoming into
purple patches
on our lawn
it feels
like spring
today
no coat
necessary
for dog-
walking
it feels
like spring
today
yesterday’s rain
melds in
my nose
with other
nyc smells
to create
something
new
it feels
like spring
today
the spouse
planning a
garden
on each
terrace
in the
back
it feels
like spring
today
we all
sat/stood
in the
sunlight
absorbing it
knowing
that although
it feels
like spring
today
tomorrow
could be
a whole
different
story.
February 6, 2022
three hundred days
not quite one year
three hundred days
far more than three hundred poems
three hundred days
a promise to myself and none other
three hundred days
a streak honestly acquired
(though sometimes through catching up)
three hundred days
i won’t get the alert until after i post this exact poem
but today
i know
i know
because yesterday was 299
i’ve been doing this whole
poem-a-day thing
for three hundred days
and i guess i can be proud of myself for that.
~~~
green around the house
green on the roof
rainbows shifting dancing swirling cranking
throughout the room
echos of classical
(some call ‘evil’)
and the cat scratching
and the fake fireplace flickering
and the humidifier humidifying
and my spouse done cleaning
so our giant table is a table once again
(and no longer just a clutter-catcher)
and though there’s still some more cleaning to do
this house really is starting to feel more like
our
home
~~~
i need a third
here
(what would a three-hundredth day be
without turning into a three-poem-day?)
but my brain isn’t in a hugely poem-izing mood
anymore
and any old poems i might insert
were either re-written there
or up here
so what else to do but
write a poem
about
writing a poem
like all my little meta-hipster-cells
want me to do
[how long is too long
to stare into space
and come back with
nothing]
January 7, 2022
having been burned by
the National Weather Service
and over-preparedness
in the past,
the Kips opted
to ignore the
winter weather advisory
for their area
and sleep comfortably in a home
with
no shovel
and
no rock salt
and woke to some of the
pack-y-est snow they’ve seen
in NYC
thus far.
but all is not lost,
for these two new(ish) homeowners,
for they had opted for a push-broom
to rid their driveway of autumnal leaves
and that seemed to work fine
(for now)
for the little piece of sidewalk
and tiny driveway
that they have
and perhaps,
if it does continue to snow
(as the weather app says)
they will brave the icy streets
(which hold no fear in the driving Kip,
having spent six years in Wisconsin
driving multiple times a day)
to pick up
a brand new snow shovel
and a bucket of (pet safe) salt.
but for now:
coffee,
bagels,
and enjoying this wonderland view.
December 24, 2021
It’s a very skunk-y Christmas
When the day before the Eve-ening,
A precariously-leaned gate outside our door
Gave a neighborhood skunk quite a fright-ening
It’s a very skunk-y Christmas
When throughout our teeny home
The not-quite-fully sealed window panes
Let the stink-smell roam
It’s a very skunk-y Christmas
We’ve tried candles, incense, and fans
Though perhaps if we’d had a real-live-fir
Yeah, that would’ve been a good plan…
It’s a very skunk-y Christmas
But at least it’s not the only threat
What with Omicron out a-spreading
Friends and family won’t be visiting just yet
It’s a very skunk-y Christmas
But our animals don’t seem to mind
The cat runs around as spastic as us-ual
And the dog’s head tilts in kind
It’s a very skunk-y Christmas
When the day before the Eve-ening,
A precariously-leaned gate outside our door
Gave a neighborhood skunk quite a fright-ening
December 14, 2021
Kip asked me yesterday if i ever missed
Brooklyn
and i said i missed some things,
some people,
i miss Carlos and Jacob and the other babies who would
squeal
with fright/delight as they pet the giant teddy bear
that is Louka.
i miss the unofficial mayor of Flatbush (Joy),
and Mike
and about
half
the people in our building
(not that we dislike the other half,
we just never really met them).
i miss all the vegetarian food places;
El Barrio Burritos,
Zen Vegetarian Chinese food,
and the veggie option at Silver Rice,
and that food-truck that stood at the street-corner near the Q
waiting for me to try one of the falafels
(but i never did…)
i miss the woman selling wares and jewelry and incense from her van
every day
(though we still have plenty of Egyptian Musk to get us through)
and i do miss the vibrancy of
Prospect Park
right next door.
but
here
we have new neighbors to get to know,
new food places to explore
(though i am still in search of good plant-based options),
new parks to meander around,
a backyard,
a road Louka isn’t afraid to walk near,
and the best bagels we’ve had in New York
so…i’m pretty sure we’re winning.
(plus, our old home is simply a train ride
or two
away!)
October 31, 2021
sunny Halloween
the most wonderful time of year
the spookiness will arrive tonight
(i’m sure of it)
but right now
i simply enjoy
fall
seasons
decorations
music
and
being married to a fellow spooky-season-lover
~~~
[it did,
it did,
it did arrive in the nighttime;
with so many costumes,
and flickering skull lights
casting shadows on half-buried {faux} skeletons,
and running out of candy
{eek!},
and sudden downpours
reflecting headlights in puddles on the ground,
and shuddering lights
which could be loose circuits
but i choose to believe
it’s our ghosts
traveling through the electicity,
and of course
our Halloween cat
chasing the ghosts
away]
October 26, 2021
rain pouring
pounding
on our new (to us)
(though, in actuality, quite old)
(and yet not as old as the houses we grew up in)
house.
and clearly this little building has withstood
rain
and storm
and hurricane
and wind
and whatever else…
but it’s the big droplets on the a/c unites
that stick out of the windows
is really what
keeps me
awake
October 9, 2021
the stress
is starting to get to me
(even though i know
i’ll probably feel so much better
just writing the damn monologue,
or getting a damn shower,)
but i’m holding out
for…???
to feel actually grungy?
to feel actual inspiration?
i have other things on my to-do list
go through headshots
write to some agencies
actually cut these damn fingernails
but the immediate
is
to make this house
a home
(and turn the apartment home
into just an apartment again)
and everything hurts
and everything’s exhausting
and i’ve split more fingers than i can count
just from the dry air
and yet
i’m actually happy/excited/stoked
for the general month
for the general year
the general life we’re building here
it’s just the immediate
that brings me
multitudes
of
stress.
kipventures 