Category: Artifacts

While I washed dishes at the sink, the boy squatted behind me with a little plastic saw.

He started on one calf, and then the next.

䷳

keeping his back still
so that he no longer feels his body

My upper back decided to assert its existence.
A rough week of fitful sleep.

Fortunately Instacart accidentally delivered two tubes of Ben Gay last year.
The kids hate the smell.

I’ve entered the grandma zone.

䷙䷿

practice chariot driving and armed defense daily

Last day of September.
Last swim of the year.
The end of summer.

We played
Marco Polo,
Horse,
Bridge,
Tickle Monster,
Egg.

All in a nine foot pool.

We watched the sky
and planes flying by.

What will be be next summer?
Can we swim in the same pool twice?

䷈䷼

It furthers one to cross the great water.

We took the cover off of the pool.
Let the chlorine evaporate.

Moments later, concentric circles filled the living room ceiling.

I went out to rescue the bugs.
A good deed for the weekend.

䷺䷨

his loud cries are dissolving as sweat
salvation comes on a translucent grid

Mom always complains she’s too close to the monitor during class.
So the girl programmed a warning system in Lego Spike with the Color Sensor.

When the sensor sees black,
Play the sound file.

She set it front of the keyboard.
When she leans forward, the sensor sees her hair.

The speaker squawks!
KEEP YOUR EYES FAR AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER!

䷣䷎

within the earth a mountain

They placed a box on the armrest.
Laid a roll of drawings down the sofa.
Branched two blue tubes for arms.
And splayed a pair of socks at the bottom.

On the box they added
Two paint bottles for eyes.
A pencil for the mouth.
Toilet paper rolls for hair.
A short plastic tube for a nose

Covered the him with a grey blanket.
Our couch potato all week.

䷴䷳

the wild goose gradually draws near the summit

We played Telephone at dinner.
He insisted on going first, multiple times.
At first some gibberish.

The girl finally got a chance to start.
Whispered to her brother, then mom, and me.

I announced “Daddy is a sneebish stealer.”

The boy and girl erupted in laughter.
He choked on his food — even though there was nothing in his mouth.

Mom stopped the game.

䷑䷁

setting right what has been spoiled by the father

We love dark chocolate.
I’ve enjoyed a piece (or two or three) every day.
All summer.

Until I stopped.

Headache
(Withdrawals from a caffeine addiction).
Then a second day.

Finally, quiet.

䷷䷢

the wanderer’s inn burns down

Seventeen years ago, my girlfriend made pajamas with a purple fleece with white stars.

Yesterday, grandma pulled out the box of scraps to make pants for the boy.

He insisted on the purple fleece with white stars.

And paraded around the house in mama’s PJ’s.

䷲䷔

thunder repeated

I collect old receipts to use as bookmarks.

While reading a book of haikus on the lazy Saturday afternoon,
I begged her to bring me a few.
(Didn’t want to get off the bed.)

Instead, they made bookmarks.

Watch
out
for
THE
DADDY
DEVil

wa! haha!
The daddy
devil!!
The
daddy
devil!
!!!!!!!
AHH!
!!!!
!!!

Daddy
The
monster
book-
mark!
AHH!
!!!!!!!!!

Daddy
is
a bad
monster
!!!!
!!!!
dun dun
dun!

DADY is STIOPiD
DnD n Dnb

Fat
!daddy

Daddy
is fat.
The Fat
daddy
book-mark!
dun
dun
dun!!!

DnDnDnDnD

and a wordless
drawing of
a “cave jail”

䷏䷄

one falls into the pit
three uninvited guests arrive