When I pet my cats
after eating a banana
Quiet Rustle and Felix
recoil from the
slight banana smell
on my fingers
they scrunch their noses
and squint their eyes
then dart away
from the noxious fumes
which is why
I pet them good bye
each day
before I put on
aftershave
copyright 2020 Christopher Donahue
January is drawing to a close. The novelty of the New Year fades with each passing day. I look out the window and see typical weather for this time of year: cold, grey, drizzle. There are days in January it seems the sun never comes up and this appears to be one of them. The cold rain is less of a hassle than snow, but it’s still a better day for staying home and reading a book with my cats than heading out to work.
I remind myself better days are ahead. A month of winter is already gone and spring can’t be far behind!
All bundled up against the dank weather, I pause before leaving the house. Unfortunately, I notice the calendar hanging on the wall and the somber fact there are two months of winter to go! Oh well. What can I do?
My cats Quiet Rustle and Felix watch me get ready to go. And, as I look into their inscrutable feline eyes before turning to leave, I know what they were thinking:
You are making a terrible mistake!
copyright 2020 Christopher Donahue
This year I decided my New Year’s resolution would be a process instead of a goal.
Instead of saying I was going to stop/start something when the ball dropped on New Year’s Eve, my resolution this year is to keep trying to reach my goals until I achieve them!
Whether it is losing weight, exercising in the morning, writing a novel in my spare time, or just being more positive, it’s important that I not get discouraged by setbacks and keep persevering to get where I want to be. And this resolution to keep trying has been very liberating. Instead of a setback being a defeat, the setback is part of the process and I am moving toward my goal. Instead of feeling like a loser, I feel successful and more motivated to get after those goals!
Another part of my resolution is that I’ll take stock of things in December and see how I’ve done. It is going to be a great year!
It has only been a few weeks, but this far, this is my best New Year’s Resolution ever!!!
copyright 2020 Christopher Donahue
chilly starry night
festively lit Christmas trees
Santa on his way
copyright 2019 Christopher Donahue
There are few things that make me feel happier than feeding the birds in the cold weather. I like to go out early each frosty morning and spread some bird seed along the ground in our dormant garden for my little feathered friends. Often in the early dark, there are a few birds waiting for me to come out and start slinging bird seed. These few little birds aren’t afraid as I approach and put the seed down. I imagine their lack of fear is caused by desperation. Perhaps, they are barely staying alive in the harsh weather and breakfast that morning will be the difference between surviving or not.
Then again, these early birds might be regulars who recognize me as the breakfast guy in my bathrobe, sweatpants, untied snow boots and orange knit cap. Not to mention groggy countenance and coffee breath. Regardless, it makes me feel good to help out. Feeding the birds might be a little thing but I’m happy to do it.
And that reminds me of my human friends and family. The holidays can be challenging for anyone. It occurs to me there are friends and family I haven’t heard from in a while who I know have a tough time during the holidays. Maybe they are dealing with loneliness or substance abuse or something else. I certainly can’t solve those problems for them. But a little bit of kindness and friendship is never wasted.
Maybe I should take them out for breakfast?
On me!
copyright 2019 Christopher Donahue
friends family fun feast
so much to give thanksgiving
after dinner nap
copyright 2019 Christopher Donahue
black rain slick branches
a week before Thanksgiving
wet dark cold dank days
copyright Christopher Donahue 2019
Brooding slate gray skies
Bushy squirrel nests high in trees
Cold hard leaf strewn ground
Copyright 2019 Christopher Donahue
Every year at the end of October, there is a curious astronomical event I look for shortly after sunset. It involves a particular star called Arcturus that glowers bright red in the twilight sky every year during Halloween week. The curious part about Arcturus shining in the sky this time of year is that it shines in the exact spot the sun would be shining if it were Summer. And because Arcturus is a faint imitation of the brilliant sun, the phenomena is poetically referred to as the Ghost of Summer Suns.
Standing in my back yard last evening, amidst the fallen leaves, it’s fun to consider that if it were summer, the sun would be setting but it would still be daylight. Instead, it’s Autumnal twilight and a little red star is in the sun’s place- an ominous reminder the earth is moving inexorably toward winter.
And also a reminder I should go inside, lest the ghosts and goblins of Halloween week sneak up on me as I’m preoccupied looking at the stars!
Copyright 2019 Christopher Donahue
October means leaf-peeping in New England. It was a clear-blue, sunny Saturday and my wife and I decided to take a drive and enjoy the foliage.
As we followed the winding roads through the sun-dappled countryside, we zipped by a beautiful old saltbox-style house that caught out attention. Behind an old stone wall, the salt-box sat on a green lawn strewn with bright autumn leaves. Smoke curled from the chimney. The home looked like it was recently renovated and the homeowners had done a fantastic job. The thought of the renovation brought to mind all the carpenters and craftspeople who worked on the home and how proud they must be of their work.
My stream of consciousness then took me to the next thought: Old school, carpenter work boots with the thick, white soft tread. I had been coveting a pair of those boots since childhood but reluctant to spend the money- especially since I’m not a carpenter.
And that made me think of my dearly departed older sister who I looked up to as a kid for all things cool. Back in the day, my sister always referred to those boots as “shit-kickers.”
And that made me think of my father. Sitting alone at the bedside of that very same sister. She was in a coma and dying from an aneurysm. It was hard to believe it has been ten years. Family had come to the hospital to support us. I was quietly talking with my cousins when I saw my father sitting at my sister’s bed side. He was sitting in a chair with his back to us. His feet together. His hands on his lap. He might have been praying. He might have been thinking of a life of trials and struggle. And now the death of his dear child. His daughter.
I thought of all of that in an instant before I refocused on driving.
Then we zipped by the red salt-box house, on that beautiful day, me with my wonderful wife, and the autumn leaves falling and swirling behind our passing car.
copyright 2019 Christopher Donahue
