Infections

Crowding the planet, 

human and plant cells,

playing games, life and death, 

uncertainty...

steal hope, offer confusion, despair,

sometimes comfort still,

quiet companioing

at a bedside,  on a website, 

with a protest sign...

confusion, best answers, sought, 

breathe in, and out, 

snow falls white fluffy wonder, 

a two year old's delight, 

reminds me again...

solutions oft unrecognized, present 

they come, they go, 

new stories born from old, 

re found amidst ice 

melting refrozen...

this little light of mine, glory comes.

gkn Jan 2017

Dad: Ice Cream and Chocolate Milk

Chocolates  fill your room, and
disappear too, as we wait, for you to
join mom on the other side.

You ask weakly for a drink, not water
your voice gets stronger, by the end of
the visit you are drinking chocolate milk.

Mom fills your room, as you
disappear into other worlds on your way,
we prepare for our final goodbye.

We feed you soup, you eat your own ice cream
or butter tart, with raisins you instruct,
we are unprepared.

Yesterday we found you unresponsive, sleeping,
we check for breathe, yours and
ours are shallow now.

Today you laugh, with great grandchildren,
as they tell stories, and you tell them
yours, delight fills the room.

We eat fresh baked goods, your sweet tooth
inherited by all,  drink tea and coffee,
we prepare
impossibly.

gkn Jan. 15 2017

The Buzz

Still in pajamas,  tea in hand,
phone call finished,  your invitation arrives
 i will join you for tea
i run to pull on clothes, to walk to
you, when a car pulls up,
a ride is offered,  i pull the granola
out of the oven, hop in the car
surprise you, still reading fliers on the
bulletin board.

 unexpected

we are at the counter ordering,
when he walks in,  it has been so long,
we fall into one another's arm,
the table for three heart sharing
goes on,  i rarely come here
he says and you and i echo the
words.

gkn Jan. 10, 2017

Now

Changing life, times

hope born anew,

a page turns again.

Breathe in, breathe

love, for all, 

a page turns..

gkn dec.2016

Dad

 between worlds with you, 

perhaps we have spent our whole life 

here, you and I,  in worlds separated

by a veil too thin almost to notice, 

yet thick enough to separate, perhaps

today again we will see more

revealed in the passage opening, 

you me and I you. 

My grandpa, your dad, joined us

here today, you saw him,  I heard your 

anxious voice respond, put away the cream, 

the separated cream, I should have known 

remember the separator, my fascination, 

your childhood labours demand.

Our voices clear in veils of certainty revealed

I love you, spoken truths of souls familiarity

connected in worlds un noticed, in 

Our running, racing worlds seen here

in quiet space of rest, I rub your feet, you 

agree the back rubbed would be nice too

You and I in found comfort, 

lately found, and timely .

gkn 2017

Dear People of Simcoe County

Writing my memoir continues to take most of my time these days,  how fun to remember all
the people and all the love that has seem me through.   Thanks for the extra support you have been sending, the songs are great inspiration!
Today I also wrote a letter to the enterprise bulletin,  which I shared on facebook and I share it here with you my loving, supportive community!

Dear People of Simcoe County, 

I have come to love this land and its people, over the past eight years that I have lived here.  It was closeness of the water,  the beauty of the land and the options for biking and hiking that brought me to this area. 

This week I am feeling anxious, I have a daughter who lives in the United States,  I have a daughter who has black skin,  I have a daughter who  has a beautiful son with her female partner,  I have friends who…the list is long.  I am worried about a Trump presidency.  I am sad when I hear about grandsons coming home from school sick because they are worried about their and their friends’ safety. 

This week I read that Kellie Leitch, my federal member of parliament, who is running for the leadership of the Conservative Party,  said she hailed Trumps election win as an exciting message that needs to be delivered to Canada as well.

I am asking you, my conservative friends, I am asking you my liberal friends, I am asking you my friends of no particular political leaning or interest to not be complacent. 

Lets us speak and act in ways that promote open heartedness, loving kindness and gratitude for the many privileges that are afforded to us in this great country.  Let us give thanks for the immigrants, including our ancestors who came to give us more opportunity.  Let us acknowledge our role in the suffering of indigenous peoples.   Let us truly live a life that recognizes there is enough for all, and let our actions speak this truth too.   Let us give thanks for the diversity that strengthens our world in so many more ways than food!  

May we breathe, may we notice, may we defeat fear acts of love!

gloria kropf nafziger

What I forgot

what I forgot in writing my memoir

my story is longer at sixty one than it was a twenty one
there are some details that need to be shared in order
to make sense of the details
memory is not certain or specific or perhaps
even accurate
what is believed to be accurate for one
may not be accurate for another
truth telling is scary
changing the story is hard work
details, always, don't matter sometimes
life is dynamic, changing
an imperfect reflection
all people carry with them fear
and sorrow, love
and anger, pain
and joy
even a story of love carries
unpleasantries
there are many ways to tell a story
support comes in different ways,
loneliness is part of connection
disappointment often goes with dreams
sometimes it doesn't
dreams surround us, if we just
take the time to remember
anger expressed has more healing power
then anger repressed
sorrow surrounds joy
new life comes out of death
stories, all stories,
are worth listening too
sixty one is old and young
all at the same time
community is built by taking risks
and letting another see in
that a ticking clock is sometimes very loud,
sometimes quiet.  sometimes fast, and sometimes
slow,  and none of it perhaps has anything to do with time
and everything to do with being
that I love writing, I love blocks of time to write in
I am free when my pen and my fingers are moving

gkn Nov. 2016