poetry

October 6, 2026

/ HJ / Leave a comment

it’s always fascinating how
in the weeds
humans can be
when looking at things
minusculely
minutely

forgetting the grand meaning of the universe
[which is probably meaningless]
so have a great time and help others out
[not necessarily in that order]
is what i’ve established as my base reasoning for existing
and my personal philosophy centers mostly on kindness
and i know i have a ton of privilege
to have that as my core reason for being
and to have had the time to spend
really mulling over the universe and all it means
but i figure i might as well use my privilege
to bring kindness to others
philosophically
as well as personally
so that this portion of the world
can get just a little bit more
kind
than it was before me

that’s what i’m leaving when i’m gone:
a long long string of
kindnesses

October 5, 2026

/ HJ / Leave a comment

tried to write about
some tough stuff

ended up just staring off into space

and playing with the dog

and i did finish it, but i don’t think it had the
spark
of my normal morning poetry
[too much searching for the right term
not enough emotional flow]

so

here i am, trying to write more
trying to find something to get into a flow for

but this morning may be
a morning for normal human needs
food and water and connection and
maybe the creativity
will come at the end of the day

[maybe even in the form of a
colorful catober
finally!]

October 4, 2026

/ HJ / Leave a comment

who would have guessed
i’d become such a dog person:
entering a house and immediately being picked
by the big lab-pit mix
as the one who’d pay the most attention to him
[and him being exactly right]
as i’d kneel down for his face licks
and let him roll around in my lap
as i pet his belly
and squish his puppy face
and pull him around the kitchen
at the end of a tug toy rope
and always answer the call
of more pets
more belly rubs
more playtime
more attention
throughout the evening —
the adults standing and talking
the kids sitting and being entertained
and me and the puppy
rolling around on the floor
content as can be

i should have known from that first rain storm
and how much my heart was still in love with Louka
even as she smelled like wet wet dog
that i was an absolute goner
for the whole canine race

[i adore all animals, but dogs are something special]

~~~

not to be that person
but i can’t let a poem go
about loving animals
without bringing up my first love:
cats

cats of all kinds and colors
cats of all breeds and demeanors
i love the cats who hiss and snarl
and i love the cats who cuddle and curl
and i love the standoffish cats
who give you the time of day for one (1) pet
and then you may never see them again
and i love the needy cats
and the house cats
and the outside cats
and the stray cats
and the cats who act like dogs
and the cats who scream for food at 5 am
and the cats who play nonstop
and the cats who find the best sunspots and just sleep —
they are all great
and i love them all
with all of my heart

[along with all dogs, and all animals, as established in my previous poem]

~~~

it’s very silly to have competing poems
for dogs
vs
for cats
because i’ve spent my whole life loving the ‘underdog’
[which, ironically, is usually cats]
but i can
love them both equally
along with all animals
because i am that person
i am that Wild Magic character
who needs at least two animals around her
in order to sleep a good sleep at night

i wish i could call wild creatures to my bed
and cuddle with deer and raccoons and buffalo and echidnas all
but i am just as happy
having one cat and one puppy
in my bed with me
half on top of me
i really don’t sleep great
unless there is some kind of creature, be it feline, canine
or kip
and definitely the best sleep is with all three

i am an animal person
an animal lover
a lover of all creatures
even creepy crawly ones
even the spiders i’m so terrified of
i still see their reason for being
i wish i could deal with them being in the house
[and some of them, i can
some of them i can]

honestly
and truly
the only species of animals i’m not
1,000% on board with

are humans…

[and even then, half my life is spent
trying to make sure the humans i know and love
are feeling seen and heard and listened to and loved,
so damn, i really do love all this planet’s creatures…

and other planets’…?
i just haven’t met yet!]

October 3, 2026

/ HJ / Leave a comment

can’t let the creature
on the other end of the line
hear the fear in your voice
or they’ll know you’re one of those
millennials
scared of a simple phone call
and then they may
ATTACK
and who knows
what’ll happen
after that

[your imagination and
catastrophizing is very good
at making up the worst
in that situation, so you
kind of know, you
kind of know]

October 2, 2026

/ HJ / Leave a comment

i love doing things with my hands
creating and crafting and seeing something come to fruition
with only my fingers and a few fibers to start
and i love creating with my mind
and using letters and words and language
and the simplest of things build whole worlds
and express emotions i never thought i’d be able to express
and i love being physical
creating strength from my own muscles
creating an audience reaction through my own movement
and stage presence
and i love organizing
creating a sense of order where
once there was none
and i love acting
taking only my own experiences
and creating a whole new person
from others’ words
and my empathy
and some research
and guidance from a director
and reactions from fellow actors
and i think the conclusion this poem is giving me
is gifting me
is that everything i love has a sense of creation
and that could be the biggest aspect
of the things that i love
that i love the most

October 1, 2026

/ HJ / Leave a comment

it’s october
it’s october!
it’s spooky season
the spoopiest time of year
a moment of witches and werewolves
and spiders and ghosts and full moon eyes of black cats
and vampires and scary stories and one flickering candle left in an
otherwise darkened room
of music with theremins and organs
and sound effects that send a chill up your spine
where skeletons can meet up with their kind
and dissonantly play their bones
like xylophones
until the coming morning

September 30, 2026

/ HJ / Leave a comment

talking to our dog
even though she only understands
some
english words and vocabulary
and seeing her head
tilt
to try to understand everything we’re saying
we’re trying to communicate
when all we’re really trying to do
is get her to get a toy
to bring to us
so we can all play
but her ability to remember where any toy is
is far worse than her understanding of language
so we say the name
and sign the sign
and she looks around
just past the toy we have in mind
confused
and whimper-barks for help
stamping her little puppy feeties
until we stand
and point
and grab
and then she gets so excited
for doing it right/for being able to play once more
and we all do it
all over again
and again and again
every morning
and every morning
it brings me such
joy

September 29, 2026

/ HJ / Leave a comment

let’s write first
before we get caught up
in the weeds of the day
let’s write first
before we start recording
all the facts and figures
let’s write first
before we forget what creativity
feels like in the hustle and bustle
let’s write first
before it’s already nighttime
and the sads take over
let’s write first
before other needs are met
because creation
itself
is a need
so let’s create
by writing
first

September 28, 2026

/ HJ / Leave a comment

i keep feeling
about to

something is
about to
happen

a big thing is
about to
come

i am
about to
get inspired

but i’ve been feeling the
about to’s
for quite some time

maybe my whole adult life

i’d like to take some of this control
back
into my own hands

it’s not something
about to
take me away
without my consent
without my active
participation

this time
it’s something
i am
about to
do

maybe that’s the best kind of
about to

September 27, 2026

/ HJ / Leave a comment

very little sleep
each of us needing
something different

kip passing out quicker
when there’s noise
a show or a song or
something to cover up the
drip
drip
drip
of the inconsistent rain

and i need quiet
preferably absolute silence
or
enough noise to all meld together
into a wash of nothingness —
i want it to rain harder,
then i’d fall asleep instantly
but the drip
drip
drips get to me too
and the show or music
take too much brain and i
feel i need to concentrate

[how can i feel so sleepy
just lying horizontally, but the minute
there’s a distraction, i feel like i’ll
never sleep again?]