My Sister Wrote Me A Poem

On the Occasion of your Sixty Fifth Birthday
Written by Kathleen (Herself 😘) Shoemaker 

Instead of staying home where the two of you might be working in the office 

or in the gardens weeding, watering, tending, harvesting, 

or in the kitchen chopping garlic and basil for pesto,

cooking this year's tomato sauce, or making huckleberry jam

from berries gathered on Mt. Spokane,  

Instead of sitting together over coffee, 

remembering when you were nineteen, 

two small-town country kids 

riding bikes through the Alps

or of talking about kids and grand kids 

and how you got from here from there,

You are living your life in a way different 

Than most sixty five years olds.

On another bicycle journey with your beloved Paul,  

Planning, training, mapping, packing, 

Anxiety, apprehensions, excitement in your packs.

Three weeks on the road now  - from San Diego

across mountains, deserts, cities, byways

California    Arizona    New Mexico    

Florida in the distance

Today you sent a picture, four of you in front of the sign  

“Continental Divide  Elevation 6,355 feet”

You told me on this trip you will be able to confront your prejudice

about the South because on the bike there are no barriers, 

especially when people see your gray hair. 

But I've known you to climb even higher mountains demanded by Life.

You have mined for courage and endurance you didn't know were there,

Walked through dark tunnels unable to see a compass or read a map, 

followed some inner light to find your way to another place.

On you go, sister. 

Life has taken you into new worlds and always home again.

St Augustine is down the road a piece.

I know you'll not stop until you get there.