Seeing Less of Mom in the New Year and Next Book Launch

The color red threaded from Christmas to the New Year, all the way to Valentine’s Day. Yellow/gold is another eye-catching color, and the combination of the two is striking. I didn’t get to see much of my family this New Year. One of the lead staff members at the nursing home told me my mom demanded that they let her out of her gerichair because I had plans to take her out for coffee. I ordered takeout for her a couple of times, as if I were out of town. She seems to undertand I’m busy. She’s talking a bit more now. I was glad when she volunteered to tell me a relative came by to visit her and brought her a type of pastry I wasn’t familiar with. A friend sent some baby videos which made her laugh.

I’ve been busy coding for my job search, working on my open source project and learning linear algebra. My walks along the Shau Kei Wan waterfront sometimes happen at dusk. Black-crowned night herons are much bolder during the day. One of them flew away into the night as I walked by rustling a plastic bag. I realized too late he must have been perched on one of the small boats at the dock. They need much more space to feel safe at night.

I’m planning my next trip back to California for the launch of my third poetry book the department of peace and to see family. I’m looking forward to reading with Patrick Cahill, Terry Ehret and Moira Magneson, fellow members of the poetry collective Sixteen Rivers Press, who are coming out with their books: Frogs in the Basement, Plagios 3, and Eye of the Elephant, respectively.