Cables and Carabiners

Holiday card displays,
in leotard colors
of magenta and glittered gold,
convey messages—
tender, amused, caustic.

Twin holidays—
Mother’s Day ascends ladder
rungs to Father’s Day.

For years, I bounced babies
in front of these racks,
pondering, considering,
selecting mine and making sure
the much-loved son
didn’t miss the trapeze swing.

Choosing the exact card
to match my mother’s smile or
his father’s grin. Trying
to anticipate misty-eyes or
belly laughs.

Now, my chalked hands grip
a bar and I stand
on arthritic feet
conscious no address
will deliver
a loved one.
I swing above the abyss,
knowing
there is no safety net.

Lorraine Jeffrey earned a MLIS degree in library science, and managed public libraries for years. She has won poetry prizes in national contests and published over 200 poems, essays and short stories in journals and anthologies. Her first poetry book titled, When the Universe Brings Us Back, was self-published in 2022 and her chapbook titled, Tethers, was published by Kelsay Books in 2023.