Poetry: 2 Cents Off

During the last few years, I've been writing a poem each day and posting it on Facebook. Most of my poems are celebrations of natural beauty; a few are ethical/political commentaries with some bite.

You can see more poems by visiting my new Facebook page.

I also have a published book of poetry out now. Inquire at revted9@gmail.com

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2 Cents Off

©2024 Rev. Ted Tollefson

In this blistering heat, everything seems
a little off in Minnesota:
yesterday 2nd pot of tea
has a faint taste of pickle juice
from the cap used to cover a jarful

sunrise is scattering patches of copper
and liquid fire over the Big River
which means there's hell to pay
by late afternoon
when we may be flirting with the 90's

birds are a little cranky
thanks to the heat
and a few stunned by fireworks
may abandon their nests
or lose their way home

facing the furnace blast
everything takes a little more time:
an extra day to finish a carpentry project
measuring 3 or 4 times for every cut
noticing as if for the first time
the shots we don't have in our bag yet
and making do with what we've got

dreaming of a cooling swim
in Lake Superior or Walden Pond
so each pour takes in
just enough icy blue
to carry us to a time when thunder rolls
and the Great Balance is restored
one raindrop at a time.