day 358 ~ a ReVerse Poem

A ReVerse Poem ~ 4 January 2026

high wind advisory

to dazzle the gullible…look here
look there
tomorrow we’ll assess the damage
through one year’s portal into the next
not forgetting the past, but hoping for redress
to help me forget the world
before insanity invaded

~kat

Welp…so much for the brief reprieve from the madness of 2025. A new year. A clean slate. The full wolf supermoon shone bright on Saturday night and then all hell broke loose over Venezuela hours before dawn. Not because of drugs (DT has recently pardoned a convicted drug lord), and not for regime change (since our government saw fit to leave a corrupt government in place, only ousting its top leader).

In our country our president cannot be held accountable by our courts…but the president of Venezuela sure as hell can. Especially when there is a stockpile of oil involved. Ah yes. There it is. Oil. And a weakened corrupt government kept in place that DT believes he can manipulate. “Comply or pay an even higher price than your president,” he warned. It’s incomprehensible and a clear sign that the nightmare continues. Not to mention, his previous targets are now battening down the hatches. Who will be next? Cuba, Panama, Mexico, Canada, or Greenland? 

Meanwhile, DT continues to swell and bruise, have regular MRI’s, all perfect of course…and cognitive tests…his staff simply ignoring him when he dozes off mid-meeting with national leaders on camera as if no one will notice. Oh…and remember Epstein and his gazillion files that keep falling out of the nooks and crannies of our “justice department”. There’s that. So sorry world! While I did not vote for this madness, I am at a loss as to how to stop it. 

Despite all this “news”, nothing is really new. It’s more of the same. People are figuring it out though, as they struggle to make ends meet and scramble to figure out if they can afford healthcare, while the rich get richer. 

I refuse to give up. I refuse to lose hope. I have a voice and a heart that knows how to express kindness and compassion. We need kindness more than ever. We knew it was going to be a bumpy ride a year ago. It has been and is. 

The sun was a beautiful sight this morning. Bright and warm and proof that the night only lasts for a short time before dawn breaks through the darkness. Let each dawn warm your heart to overflowing and remind you to be kind. We made it through year one. We can do this again…together. 

Much love, peace, and glimmers of hope to you!

~kat

✨✨✨💚💚💚✨✨✨

Morning on the Bramlett Mountain Foothills

A ReVerse poem (a practice I started many years ago) is a summary poem with a single line lifted from each entry of a collection of work over a particular timeframe and re-penned in chronological order as a new poem. Unlike a collaborative poem, the ReVerse features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it here as a review of the past week.


day 357 ~ first full moon of 2026

What makes you feel nostalgic?

nostalgia
.
should
not be looking
back
on this first full moon,
scent of winter in the air
calling
me home to simpler times
potatoes boiling
bread baking
mom singing softly
her hands elbow deep in the sink
soapy bubbles popping, dishes cleaned
when life felt normal
before insanity invaded
our safe place
taking her
o’er the edge

~kat

Sheesh! Where did that come from. This is not the nostalgic offering that one expects in answer to today’s prompt. Ask me about my parents and I will jokingly say that they were both crazy. Each ended their life in their own special way. My father chose a quick and untidy end, my mother, a slower, miserable succumbing to addiction.

It’s a legacy I have spent years, and hours of therapy, working to overcome. My family’s propensity for mental illness is something that has terrified me and driven me my entire life. I am not ashamed to admit that I am medicated. My daily dose of “happy pills” (antidepressants) keeps me from the abyss. I suppose I am grateful to have been born a generation later than my parents when things like depression and other mental ills were unspeakable weaknesses. Fortunately for me they are recognized treatable chemical imbalances. I’m sad my parents did not have access treatment once upon a time that is so commonplace and acceptable today. 

Nevertheless, today’s prompt stirred a sweet memory for me. Remembering when things felt normal. There were glimmers amidst the darkness. There are always glimmers. 

Today’s glimmer on this first full moon of 2026…a steaming cup of espresso with frothy sweet cream (brewed in a new espresso machine recently gifted to us from my oldest daughter). The perfect accompaniment to an overcast gray day. A chance to reflect on how blessed I am and consider this new year and the potential it brings. 

much love, peace, and glimmers to you! 

~kat

✨✨✨💚💚💚✨✨✨


day 356

Do you play in your daily life? What says “playtime” to you?

game night

a good round or several of
“Cards Against Humanity”
with rowdy friends always
generates laughter…the tears
running down our red faces, side-
aching, breathless kind…it’s good
medicine in times like these
where everything is scary and
deadly serious, and where there is
no reason to laugh ever, sometimes
being irreverently silly, grossly
inappropriate, and absurd is just
the ticket, a guilty pleasure
to help me forget the world
for and hour or two…your turn

~kat

There are other things, of course that I consider playtime. Coloring in new coloring books with a fresh box of crayola crayons with my grandkids. Only Crayola crayons will do…if you know, you know.

Trying new recipes, baking things, anything. It is playtime for me. It is something I look forward to doing over the weekend and holidays.

And several electronic games. I like strategy games that require a certain amount of skill. Not necessarily sim type games.

And finally certain crafting and art projects. It is rare for me to have time to devote to creative play that is not writing. Writing is a non-negotiable must in my life. It keeps me sane.

It occurred to me that I am rather boring. Which is most likely why an occasional game of “cards” was first on my list!

Much love, peace, and glimmers to you!

~kat

✨✨✨💚💚💚✨✨✨

Today’s glimmer…I made a tray of pecan pie bark or crack (as it is called). It has a graham cracker base topped with a homemade pecan toffee layer, baked until bubbly and then cooled before cracking the entire pan into bits. I love to bake. And today I sent a bag of these sweets to the lovely team who works at the wildlife rescue center. That’s the best part about baking…sharing!

Pecan Pie Bark … first new recipe of 2026.
It’s a keeper!


day 355

we made it
.
dawn
of the new year
bright
with potential
not forgetting the past, but hoping for
redress
of wrongs committed by
cruel hate-mongers…
a new path
forged by what is true,
compassionate, kind-hearted…
where everyone is safe, fed, and loved,
it’s not much
to ask
it’s just right

~kat

A glimmer to inspire you on this first day of 2026. Remember that poor little neglected plant I found in the garage a few days ago? This is “Harriett” on the first day of the new year. (Yes, I decided to name her). She is seizing the day.


day 354 ~ New Year’s Eve

winter deer
.
oh
to hold the pure
gaze
of a winter doe
ancient faerie soul, hooves in this world
as well
as beyond the veil
messenger of grace
heavenly
guide, symbol of hope,
rebirth, and gentleness…
deep, dark eyes that invite you to trust
your heart and intuition
through one year’s portal into the next
may beauty
and hope
sustain you

~kat

Much love, peace, and glimmers and the happiest and most hope-filled new year to you!
✨✨✨💚💚💚✨✨✨

(Syllable count per line based on this pi number sequence: 3.14159265358979323)