11: Mama, geeks!

A gaggle of them congregated
using their gangly, sticks of legs to scratch around
the barren fairway that backs up to my parents' yard
These wild turkeys looking for an afternoon snack
were much bigger than I expected as they
pawed around animatedly and
moved bit by bit down the treeline

We watched in wonder from our warm perch
in their east-facing kitchen
Each voyeur taking a slender window as
we closely read each movement and shrieked when they ran
across the fairway as if playing chase
We talked about wild turkeys as
color commentators would a big game
The smaller little excited, added his two cents
"MAMA, LOOK AT THE GEEKS!!!!!!!"

No worries my child,
I see one peering out from the mirror each day and
I'm OK with that

They skittered out of clear view
while we laughed
richly,
deeply,
with tears
and a few well-placed nuzzles
to his still-babyish cheeks

Write on,
b

5: Word play and the girls...

Last night, after bath duty, footie jammies, and stories, I jumped into the Jeep, made my way past four houses -- no judgment: it was snowy -- and parked in front of Francie's house for small group Bible study with some of my favorite girls.

Inside the three of us melted into her gigantic brown leather sectional tucked into a sprawling corner of the family room.  Sunny overhead light cast a warm glow on the newest member of our group --- teeny-tiny Baby Maggie --- who now attends with her mommy; you know, so she can cluster feed before bedtime and we can jockey for who gets the next turn to snuggle her between snacks.

(I waited.  Patiently.)

As always, our 'let's settle in' conversation meandered through myriad topics and then landed decidedly on lactation.  Exhibit A was stealthily stowed under the mod-patterned hooter-hider her mommy wore on the other side of the couch...while Exhibit B (my other friend's baby) slept soundly in her crib at home.

Babyless me listened.

(And, remembered.)

F: "Maggie looooves to cluster feed.  Every night.  Time after time.  Seems like she's never full."

C: "I know!  Emma does that too!  Except she is LOSING weight.  My supply just can't keep up!"

Me: "So, what about lactation cookies?  Have you tried those to boost your supply?  I've had school friends say they really work."

C: "Lactation cookies?!?  I've never heard of such a thing!"

F: "Yep.  Those will do the trick.  I also bought some supplements on QVC -- and wow, they work. Like, I-M-M-E-D-I-A-T-E-L-Y.  If you know what I mean."

(Like taut beach balls...ouch.)

C: "Right now nursing is absolutely exhausting.  My doctor really wants to know how much milk Emma is getting, so he asked me to pump first and offer her bottles for measurement's sake. To do that, I'm pumping at least three times a day."

(I remember being hooked up at all hours to my pump.  Undeniably a labor of love.)

C: "And, I'm nursing.  Wherever; whenever.  I'm so tired of it all.  It sucks."

Me:  "Literally."

(Crickets.  Really.  Crickets.  Then, finally, a giggle.  And, a stare.)

Me: "Hey, that comment was low-hanging fruit.  Just waiting to be picked."

C: "Does your husband get your sense of humor?"

Me: "He has a degree in English."

C: "Ooooooh...."


Write on,
b

"Incarnadine Seas"

I've always loved words.  Sitting in 'big church' with the adults as a little child, I distinctly remember the enaging missionary who used "arrested" to describe how he was taken by something...not put in jail.  My first recollection of the power and versatility of words...

From there, I've always wanted to know more.  After all, words are far better than stickers, or baseball cards, or recipes, or even shoes.  They make the mundane magical, they are always in style, and they always fit!  *And, an added benefit (as if I need to sell YOU on how great words are) is that they are the key to rich, meaningful writing.

Last night, I began flipping through the bounty of new professional books I received from my district.  Like a silver gilded leaf, Georgia Heard's "Incarnadine Seas" from Writing Toward Home landed serendipitously in my lap.  In this piece bearing a Shakespearian moniker, Heard talks about the wonder of keeping a word notebook --- "words like shiny red tomatoes, picked from the vine, and ripening..."  Beautiful.  She describes the notebook as a "cup of possibility on days where I'm thirsty for words." 

Duly noted.

Gwendolyn Brooks says, "COLLECT WORDS!"  So, the words I'm collecting right now....

• grimalkin --- an old, female cat
• amalgam --- combination of two or more components
• lucidity --- easily understood, intelligent
• nebulous --- hazy, vague, indistinct

What are your favorites?  Share a few snippets from your word page with LWT readers... 

Write on,
b