Author Archives: sputterpub

Guilty (The Asshole)

Posted on March 1, 2023 by sputterpub

I recollect that lunch I had with youa decade and a half post our divorce,describing how my own self-knowledge grewto counter some old causes of remorse.Then glibly you replied you’d known no guiltsince we split up, as if I were … Continue reading →

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I Didn’t Know

Posted on February 28, 2023 by sputterpub

I didn’t know your dad was negligent.Before we split I saw him love you so,I had no clue he grew incompetent.I didn’t know. Our breakup wasn’t angry or belowthe surface, didn’t come as accident –pathology now clear then didn’t show. … Continue reading →

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Efflorescence

Posted on February 27, 2023 by sputterpub

The mortar’s not supposed to turn to dust.It shouldn’t bulge and powder-drop this way.I’ll call and pay a tradesman if I must,but that’s an errand for a later day.I’m sure there’s water – we had so much rain,there has to … Continue reading →

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Brownie Nut Cookies

Posted on February 26, 2023 by sputterpub

I tried a cookie recipe last week.I substituted walnuts for pecansand used straight allulose, but my techniquewas sensible (as were the written plans).And I’ll report they have the taste I seek:full chocolate while adhering to the banswe’ve chosen – anti-sugar, … Continue reading →

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Editing

Posted on February 25, 2023 by sputterpub

I’d like to but I can’t claim that I’m wise.I know what I don’t know, and modestyincreases with my age, to my surprise.But I’ve spent years composing poetry,and metric art is born when I revise –I hear the peal and … Continue reading →

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Careful

Posted on February 24, 2023 by sputterpub

I’m healthy but I need to take more carewith how I eat and drink and move around.I’m better now, inhaling only air,but three score thirteen years have brought profoundadjustments. Overall, my body’s sound,but healing slows and appetites as well.A breeze … Continue reading →

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Tacking

Posted on February 23, 2023 by sputterpub

I thought it was a kindness, every dayto call a friend who’s ailing and alone.I often had to search for things to say –my plate’s still full and so to fill the phonewith items I’d share details – chat awaythe … Continue reading →

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Condensation

Posted on February 22, 2023 by sputterpub

I boiled water for a nasal rinseand fogged my kitchen windows thoroughly.The garden view is looking wintry since,but spring in fact approaches bloomingly,so pollen irritates me, probably,producing mucus and persistent drainthat coats my throat and chokes phlegmatically,distilling a desire for … Continue reading →

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A Sunday in February

Posted on February 21, 2023 by sputterpub

Determined as I was to stay inside,I lasted seven hours. Then the suninvited me to walk – not far or wideand nothing even hinting at a run.Suggestion of the coming vernal tidebeguiled me to witness everyoneon sidewalks in my budding … Continue reading →

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Selfishness (Seemed to Be What’s Right for Me)

Posted on February 20, 2023 by sputterpub

When someone 5 years old assumes the roleof parent to herself, her selfishnessbecomes the theme for every choice she’ll make. If reading fiction grows to be her goal,she’ll opt for English major – nothing lesswill blaze the path through college … Continue reading →

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