Now a Chameleon - Feb. 2, 2023

once like the plain gray lizard

that used to sun herself

on the front wall my mother

is now a chameleon of emotions

slipping in and out of shadows

each day even from one

phone call to the next

a month’s worth of feelings

kaleidoscopes between

sunrise and sunset

perhaps it’s an age we all reach

when we no longer care or can

hold onto the mask of one color

but release every flush and hue

of emotion that arises

to become a child again

and so a lifetime lover

of consistency is finally free

to roam in and out of herself

and never more in need

of keeping a close eye on

with every possible

kind of love