privileged

 a young stag visited this morning

i did not notice him until he moved

astounding how stealthy

such a large creature can be

if he saw me, he was not impressed

enough to stare me down but came

right up to the porch to check

the bird food tray within ten feet

of me in my nook of an office

what a privilege to live in these foothills

super blue

 very early this morning

the moon near its zenith

was still brilliant white

and commanding

joyous for me pondering

the music of the spheres

it must hear even stooping

this close to earth

her daughter wants her to stay

 her hopes for the small home

she wished to buy where she’d

spent decades among friends

dashed by the inspector’s report

so many things needing repair

she could have returned to doing

but not in that run-down house

she’s made friends where she now lives

her daughter, who worked front desk

is now retired but wants her to stay

since she is only fifteen minutes away

yet the writing group is now lead

by someone who reads the work

of the vision-impaired with less

than empathy and understanding

rather than greater independence

she faces slow descent to blindness

and dependency