For Naomi Kutin

Naomi Kutin, you're my hero now.
Just ten years old, and check out what she did!
I will not stoop to ask you why and how
This feat became your goal; I simply bid
Myself and all who read here to recall
That strength's its own reward. This lady here
Doth know it well. Whatever may befall
Her in the future, all will surely cheer
Who hear her name. To lift twice her own weight
At any age is marvelous; to squat
With same is just phenomenal. I, Kate
Your sonneteer, will now set out to plot
Achievements, too, inspired and quite in awe
Of our Naomi. Oops, you've dropped your jaw!

Fitness Nerdery, Or, In Which "Jetson" Joins My Household

I'm choosy 'bout my roommates, but I find,

Approaching an "-ish" age as I now am,

That body needs as much work as does mind

If I, in fact, do really give a damn

About my having any chance to see

The "rapture of the nerds," as we have called

That point in time, the singularity.

Commuting on my bike's a start, but lawd,

It's been so dark and cold! So now I've bought

A treadmill - manual - for those bleak days

When Deep Blue's best left home. And now I've got

A hankering to find one or more ways

To make of it a generator! Yes!

Now if I can, that's anybody's guess!

SESTINA SATURDAY: Ass On Cushion

To write sestinas, first I have to sit
And ponder on a topic. As I think
I take strange journeys deep within my mind
And memories, until at last I stop.
Ideas are tricky to pluck from the dark,
But till I do I really have no peace.

This one is all about my search for peace.
Twice daily I take time out and I sit -
Ere sunrise, a quick shower in the dark,
While eve'nings, it's my living room, I think
That is best for my effort to just stop
And tame the monkeys rambling in my mind.

For many years, I've given little mind
To anything that you'd call inner peace.
Too much to do; the chore list doesn't stop
Because I'd like to take the chance to sit
Without having to talk or write or think.
Lights out? I'd still be toiling in the dark.

But now I'm stumbling blindly in the dark
Most of the time, just trying to calm my mind.
Just for a little while, just not to think
About what's pressing me, a bit of peace
Is all I want. Still mostly when I sit,
My ass on cushion, I can't seem to stop.

But one day soon, I know that I will stop,
That I will find there waiting in the dark
Some things I need. Until then I still will sit,
And treat with patience all that plagues my mind.
(I'm sure among them is a thought of peace
That's way off base). That's what I hope and think.

I've spent a lifetime learning how to think,
'Twill take a long time, too, to learn to stop
My dwelling on the things that threaten peace
And quiet. But it's quite good to go dark
For its own sake meanwhile, and I don't mind
A little space and time to simply sit.

This poem was my chance to sit and think
About how much my mind just needs to stop
And let the dark sink in and bring some peace.

Who Busted Out A Time Machine When I Wasn't Looking?

A baby down in Oz has died because
Her neighborhood was seething with disease --
Not AIDS, Ebola, swine flu -- I must pause,
And scream before I go on; pardon, please.
'Twas whooping cough that killed this little girl:
Preventable since 1925!
She was too young for shots herself, but (HURL)
The neighbor kids are why she's not alive.
Their parents were convinced that a vaccine
Would be much worse than death on needless scales,
And so this bug broke out again. "Obscene"
Is not a strong 'nough word for these sad tales.
Autism is a horror, yes it's true,
But vaccines do not cause it, K? Thank you.

In Which I Parrot CDC Advice About Containing The Swine Flu

Please wash your hands with water and with soap,
And if you're sick already, please stay home.
If symptoms get too bad, don't be a dope:
Do get thee to a doctor. Please don't roam
About and spread this swine flu crap around.
Your mom's advice when you were young applies!
If you must cough, then cover up your mouth.
And really, wash your hands. These are not lies!
Our latest tourist from the sunny south
(That's Mexico, not Dixieland - not yet)
Need only be pandemic if we're fools.
While economic fears and such abet
Our going forth to work and to the schools,
Just ask yourself, if really it is worth
A few bucks to risk everyone on earth?