ON MY BEDSIDE TABLE

          On my bedside stack of books 

          there is a small drawing 

          of the anatomy of the knee.

          It never ceases to astonish,

          this beautiful image of the ligaments, 

          the buffering of cartilage, 

          the protecting shield of the patella - 

          all conceived as an amazing construction for movement 

          a piston that supports

          your running, standing - 

          your leap for joy.

                                            2013

PATIENCE

          Patience is an arc of time 

          ill-defined in limitation. 

          The decision for its onset is an innocent one, 

          unaware of the demands for its endurance.

          "In the long run" is a common phrase 

          which bows down in honor when

          patience is considered.

          Patience can be an anvil 

          on which to break open the spirit to its core. 

          These are the days, day after day after day 

          when the small gifts loom large,

          when the heart bursts open with gratitude 

          for the tiniest atoms of blessings perceived.

                                                                               

                                                          2013

MY DELIGHT BUTTON'S BEEN ON

       My delight button's been on for years now: 

          I'm able to focus on the previously overlooked, 

          whittling down my responsibilities so that I can 

          make time to watch the finches 

          meet and chat around the bird feeder, 

          taking time to notice thoughts, to catch the glimpses

          of emotions 

          whatever happens when you have the time to let surface

          the communication between your own head 

          and observing heart.

                

                                                    2013

CONSIDERATION

          Where I live, I can enjoy some stars

          at night,

          not obscured by city light -

          a lovely grace to put me in perspective

          which my day's sunlit ego is ignorant of.

          A few miles away, we have an observatory.

          What a luxury, and isn't it just the right word

          for it!

          At night, we have more time;

          at night, we have the time to observe,

          while in the day's light and its demands,

          all we can do, at best,

          is

          see.

                                        2013

Lucille grew up in N.J., on the cliffs opposite NYC.  She wrote poems as a teenager. 

After graduating college, she worked in London, Rome, briefly living in Vienna before

returning to work as an R.N. in NYC.  Upon retirement, she moved to California and 

began writing with the Sonoma Writers Alliance.