I have nine of these and none of those,
and none of them are where they’re
supposed to be.

♦
I reach for this, and find only that,
which is usually broken
or the wrong size.

♦
I have one of these, but want one of those.
I hear it’s all the rage
these days.

♦
But with all the things that I don’t have,
there are many more
that I do.

♦
I have six cats that choose to call me theirs,
and two dogs that wag their tails
whenever I approach.

♦
And three beautiful children
who seem to enjoy my company,
and their friends all call me “Mom”.

♦
There’s a man I live with
who chooses, every day,
to love me.

♦
The things I don’t have, and the things
that are broken, pale in comparison
to all the intangibles that
I can call mine.
♦
“Nine of these and none of those”
doesn’t matter anymore.

♦

♦

©2007 Sharon Gerlach