Settling In Gently by R.A.Davis

It's Valentine's again time to lay down the law. no long-stemmed roses. no garish birds of paradise or alien heliconias no heart-shaped coffins for sicky-sweet cherry cordial chocolates no pre-filled cards a general ban on all things red and pink. no fancy over-sauced restaurant meals not a drop of cheap champagne All I need is a mountain a river a lifetime. That's all.

I'm on a tropical island with you. Whales breach, dolphins spin, seals sun themselves, turtles surface.. We could go beach... The canyon is every shade of red and orange and green-- waterfalls are white streaks on cliff faces rainbows arch into the misty sky... We could go mauka... Friends and family throng the pavilions at the beach, barbecue smoke and sunset ocean views, Slippers in a sandy pile, fish sizzling in the wok oil wooden hashi snap and scrape We could go party... But let's us You and I Stay home Light the candles And keep the noise outside at bay. (Another class assignment! This one is based on "In Paris with You" by James Fenton, which is a funny anti-romantic poem about all the things the author will NOT be doing Paris. My prompt to the students was-- Write a love poem about all the things you DON'T want to do.)

On Avoidance My to-do checklist multiplies like protozoa osmosises and mitosises into       things to procure       things to discard       debts to pay       mundane tasks The list glares at me from my phone       an unblinking eye             a high pitched tinnitus of             adult obligations.       so I subvert my list,             add nonsense: "sit in the sun: five minutes." "sample 3 kinds of chocolate." "draw a seabird." "sketch a mad genius." So between the sandpaper-on-bone tasks       of "callthebank" I can dutifully check off whimsey accomplish nonsense procrastinate responsibly       and with great satisfaction             avoid the doing by doing       and play a counter-harmony ...