1. Commit
   I will discard
   a lifetime of refuse.
   Careers, friends, lovers,
   Family.
   What resonates still?

2. Envision
   How do I want to live
   these last precious years?
   Open, fecund, welcoming.
   Only strings of my choosing.

3. Discard
   Each decision
   bears consequences.
   The path disappears in a sudden fog.
   I cannot see ahead.

4. Right Order
   What comes first?
   Needs or desires,
   passions or interests,
   people or places.

5. What Remains
   Pared to the bone,
   tooth marks score the surface.
   A wild fox gnaws his leg
   to escape the trap.

6. Spark of Joy
   A song rises
   through the pain.
   It is my soul.
   Unrecognized, it sings
   the songs left behind.
   (Thanks to Marie Kondo)

January 3, 2024

About the writer

Gail Barrington has enjoyed a varied career as a teacher, consultant, professor, and researcher, but her first love has always been creative writing. Now retired, she finally has the time to pursue this passion. Along with writing poetry, she is currently working on a YA eco-adventure novel.