GRIZZLY PEAR
“Spaceship Walk!”
I squatted and he climbed onto my back.
“Swing!”
I grabbed his arms and swung him between my legs
“Jump!”
I loosely cradled him in my arms and hopped a few times
“Roll over!”
I stood over the bed and dropped him onto a pile of blankets.
“Should I tell Mama about the fun we’re having?”
“Never!”
䷳䷁
don’t move
real self
best luck
不事王侯，高尚其事。
I Ching 18, line 6
The footnote to my “Penny Delights” are an extremely idiosyncratic rendition of the I Ching. This is how I normally write them up.
Today’s reading was a first. Google translate both made sense and actually aligned with the proper translations. So I passed it along untouched.
Great life advice to boot!
She’s into Obby’s.
(Obstacle courses on Roblox).
Plays with her friends, chatting on facetime.
(Her brother watches over her shoulder.)
But only one hour on the iPad.
(What else to do?)
Staged a piano recital for the stuffies.
(They quickly got bored of mashing keys.)
He pulled out their fort building kit.
(From my sister, last Christmas.)
He started with a strange shape,
(Not the usual cube with a gabled roof.)
She saw immediately — a laser room!
(She added checkpoints, throwing scarves onto the floor.)
The lines in the tile are lasers too!
(Protect yourself with baby blanket shields!)
He nests a plastic carrot in a toilet paper tube.
“The Golden Carrot!”
䷑䷎
Don’t be a prince,
不事王侯，
Bù shì wánghóu,
be noble.
高尚其事。
gāoshàng qí shì.
Tractor trailer,
A box of silver reflections,
grey, blue, brown,
The road, the sky, the me.
Sun setting below a sign,
Orange tints green and yellow,
Buffalo Drive
EXIT ONLY
䷳䷕
mountain toes,
betwixt glass and rock,
grace and stillness,
no body,
A man jogs
Blonde mane,
Just shorts,
Stars and stripes.
Five lights repeating thrice
The sign blinks
>>>
(merge right, merge right, merge right)
A sun rises
through clouds
past skyscrapers
down Russell.
䷁䷇
yellow skirt
perfect fortune
no flag
I was on the couch,
She was practicing Chinese,
Mom was on the computer.
He handed each of us
A small slip of paper.
“Vote.”
On the front, he wrote “For”
He drew a line with a dot on the back.
“Write your name.”
My wife wrote her name.
I wrote “爸” (dad)
The girl added hearts to her name.
He called for
(a) “Cottage Cheese” (container)
for a ballot box.
We searched the cabinets,
Only found big
Yogurt tubs.
Never mind.
“It’s late!”
Time for bed.
䷧䷿
shoot falcons
liberating sheep
skipping over
cushioned walls
He cut two long rectangles,
Colored them blue,
Held them against his face.
😭
He cut an oblong shape,
Sharp corners at each end.
Colored it red,
Lips.
He cut a square,
Drew a face,
Colored it brown.
???
䷏䷿
drink and feast
but no wet heads!
Arriving home, I was greeted by Wordle.
The kids snuck off with the iPad.
Giggling in the playroom,
They connected to the living room TV.
Stop playing with the iPad!
I have to take my shower first.
Coming out to play,
He already took four guesses.
AUDIO
AUDIO
AUDIO
AUDIO
□□□□□
□□□□□
䷚䷧
carry a burden
ride a carriage
invite mischief
She sat on the kitchen tile,
pulled the pillowcase over her legs
put the socks on her feet,
slid out and hopped up,
proudly displaying
a topsy-turvy skirt wearing socks.
A few minutes later,
I wandered into the living room.
Two kids wriggling inside
the stretched out skirt.
she looked up, grinning,
“a chrysalis!”
I grabbed my phone,
but the older butterfly was
already chasing her brother.
Twirling a chrysalis
over her head,
a lasso.
䷤䷩
auspicious woman
children dally
great crossing
elephant laughter
We left the world as it shut down.
Three years later, we decided to visit the library.
For a Japanese koto concert
(we lasted one song)
Shopped at the friend’s bookstore,
Browsed the stacks,
While we were out, we went shopping.
(our first time with the kids)
He rode the shopping cart seat,
She scrunched in the basket.
She got out and pushed him,
(he got out and tried to pushed her)
Bought my first new pair of shoes in five years.
Picked up staples, veggies and meat.
He called out the name of everything he saw.
(delighted by the mundane cornucopia of produce)
We saw live fish,
looking miserable.
And crab, clams, and lobsters,
(presumably miserable too)
Crackers,
Lots of crackers.
And aisles of snacks and candy.
(mama said no!)
I ran into an classmate from my old kung fu school.
He recognized me, even with a mask.
We hugged.
(school still going strong)
Left for home at 7 pm.
Mama made Mac & Cheese at 9 pm.
Kids fell asleep at 11 pm.
(made it to 12am to close year 43.)
(what will 44 bring?)
Woke up to wrap presents
Made pancakes with the kids
They unwrapped my gifts
We started a puzzle
I took a nap
Made birthday noodles
Cleaned the kitchen
We went to Ikea.
It’s been forty months,
Since I rushed through for
Utensils and Swedish meatballs.
(exiled from family before the world shut down)
The four of us
leisurely meandered
through both floors
(he loved the escalator)
They sat on every couch
Before we picked up the pace
To the toys.
(mama let us buy a small stuffie)
Downstairs
He rode a shopping cart,
Twice in two days!
(after so many years)
We picked through the goods,
Checked out,
Entered the dark.
(two hours after we arrived)
He exclaimed
Wow that was fast!
Yes it was.
(all of it)
䷎䷦
modest expedition
through neighbors
no disadvantage