Voting Day 2016 - two poems: Voting Day - The Deer on the Side of the Road

 For dinner I had

Cabbage soup and veggies. Yin Liu came to visit thother day and brought me a Chinese cabbage.

For dessert,

Blubberies pecans and vanilla almond milk.
 Instead of watching the Election Results, I'll either read one of my, oh, five books, or watch movies on Netflix. I can't go on YouTube as they'll show voting results.

Then around 11 pm, I'll click The New York Times.


VOTING DAY 2016

At the high school
There were 6 pair of
feet under the curtained
voting booths

When I stepped inside
the light went on and I
studied the canvas spread
out before me.

I didn't wanna make a
mistake, would you?

My head was clear, not filled
with poetry from Billy Collins'
latest book, The Rain in
Portugal,

Nor was I thinking of Mrs Danvers
perishing in the fire in the
film Rebecca

"Vote Party Ticket"
blared one of the many
buttons. I cautiously
shifted my eyes down to
the lower right

CAST YOUR BALLOT and
it would all be over.

My hands were chapped as I
forgot to smooth on Barb Toohey's
Butter Cream or whatever it's called
that I keep on the husband's side
of the bed

My stomach rumbled as I hadn't
eaten breakfast yet
I double checked my votes
as I did for the spelling bee
back in Shaker

CLICK!

And the curtains opened magically
like in the Wizard of OZ
And I walked triumphantly down
the stairs of the high school
where my boy used to go

And said to our wonderful Republican commissioner
May the best woman win!

***

THE DEER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD

Bubby, why are you leaving? asked Max.
My cabbage soup is ready.
Mine was in the slow-cooker, just
as his mom's was in theirs.

Bubby! he said, hugging my knees
when I walked in. Sit beside me
on the couch and we'll watch
All About Trains on Netflix.

Look what I have for you, says I
reaching into my back pocket.
Stickers!
He doesn't like stickers but
Grace, drawing a self-portrait
in the dining room, thanked me
and slipped the Trolls through
the cellophane.

Going home I bounced
over the train tracks
and remembered saying
to Max, I thought of you
the other night when the
half-moon was out.

The Moon for Max.

Coming home along
Edge Hill, I couldn't
believe my eyes. A
deer was trotting like a
dog along the side of
the road.

What mystery
what majesty lay
in that sight.

Stay safe, cocoa-
colored deer, stay
safe.