Today was good. Bob 's tutoring went well though with smaller turnout than he hoped for. Cleaning the apartment was pleasant and successful and I introduced Bob to online scrabble (Lexolous on Facebook) to which I am joyfully addicted. Our beach birding was pleasant - odd conditions at beach, very flat gray day, dry dunes from drought, clammy breeze. We didn't get into the water but had fun. Oddest bird sight was a cattle egret standing in a flock of laughing gulls and Caspian terns, whittish and awkward but wearing a gorgeous cap of rusty breeding feathers.

We continue to process and pray about the news about Heidi's renewed cancer growth. Our lunch with Bob's teacher friend was canceled because her one year old niece was in emergency surgery, suddenly unable to breathe because of a large growth constricting her internal organs, and her parents had been told babies don't always wake up after surgery. I was horrified for this family, but visualizing Liam or Andrea so ill really shook me. Also, much less serious. but frustrating and painful, we learned that Chris had a soft tissue injury to his leg during a TAKS pep rally yesterday (over zealous wrestling coach carried away with throwing Chris choreography. So he's hurting and on crutches and that's unfortunate, especially right before TAKS.

Chris' accident and the poetry prompt to write about an event emboldened me to write about a recent near miss of my own - about two weeks ago - that I hesitated to write about here, probably more out of embarrassment than anything else. My right knee still aches some and there are sensitive spots on foot and shin still, but I'm mostly back to normal.

Fall

Ordinary morning, clock scolds,
time to get moving, clients
expect me. Author reading is
scheduled for tonight. Favorite
soft black skirt, apricot top,
amber necklace, comfortable shoes
all await on rocking chair and desk,
ready to go. Not I. Stayed up too late,
groggy but responsible, I roll left like
every morning. expect to land standing
beside tall bed with feet on cool floor,
but I roll wrong, too much momentum,
smash against bedside table, spill
slat night's soda, overturn bowl of
change, kick power cords, unplug clock,
upend lamp, all free fall, then splat.
I sit up fast in a pile of pennies,
dripping Diet Dr.Pepper, lamp in my lap.
I sit still, stunned, hurting, feel right
knee start to swell, finger knots on shin
and under right eye. Even if I get ice on
it fast, I'm going to have my first shiner.
But I can think, stand, walk, call a cab,
listen, offer counsel, read with feeling,
sign books, receive hugs, get home, even
remember dietary restrictions for Passover.
I am still myself. Life goes on one more
day. I did not crack skull, snap neck,
break foot, wreck knee, die. Live, I think
I'd better, between falls, each ordinary day.

Victoria Hendricks, April 25, 2009