Photo by Kayley
November-Remember
Lying on the carpet, on my back, alone,
bathed in warm sunlight pouring in
through the sunporch windows,
I know that cooler weather is soon to arrive.
But at this moment, I’m not concerned.
I close my eyes.
Now, I am lying on a lounge chair,
soaking up the sun after a brief swim in the pool,
at my father’s condo in Florida, on a vacation.
Suddenly, the scene changes. I’m in grade school,
living in my mother’s house in Ohio, riding my bike
to the neighborhood pool in summer.
Next, I’m a teenager courting skin cancer with my older sister,
aluminum foil framing our faces while
lying on the sundeck off her bedroom.
Ok, maybe now I’m tanning on a towel at Daytona Beach,
on spring break, with my college friends.
Or, the best one, I’m in shorts and a T-shirt,
lying on the windward deck of “Camelot,”
the sound of waves slapping the hull of Dad’s boat,
while catching some rays on Lake Erie.
I’m retired, reminiscent and realistic,
well past wanting to own a 30-foot sailboat,
but the perfect age to close my eyes
and watch re-runs.
© 2026 gratefulsue
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Winter, with its cold days, is a perfect time to lie down in the sun, inside, on a soft carpet. Why should you? 1. It’s easier for the sun to shine through the leafless trees in winter, for one thing. 2. It’s warmer inside than outside. 3. You can’t go on a vacation to Florida every day, and 4. if you close your eyes, you can teleport yourself to whatever beach, pool, or boat you desire. Go on a cruise if you like.