Surprise!
Mary Fogel
September 6, 2026
It’s quite hard to explain
what’s been happening
to me
Trump Trumpeting Terrors
bombard
Putrid background music
suggesting doom
Surprise bubbles up
Do I laugh
or cry?
What is this combo
of revulsion and amusement
While a cartoon lunatic
is itching
to drop a nuclear
bomb?
How can I be happy
with these daily demonstrations
of failure and stupidity?
I’m pulling up weeds
in flower beds
in Texas
in August
freeing up blooms
previously smothered
by the pesky plants brought on
by rains
Yet that was in springtime
and that was then
and this is now
and it’s really dry
and it’s really hot
Surprise gets pulled up
with every weed
while this is going on
How can I be happy
with each little root
extracted?
Satisfaction flowing
when the dark earth
is visible once more
So, Turks cap and lantana
are having their day
My hands are hurting
with sweat and dirt
covering every inch
of me
I stop for a time and watch
a hummingbird dip deep
for a Turk Cap Red Soda
and monarchs
in differing hues
join in
They are the only ones
who might see me
take off my filthy clothes
right there on the porch
and feel an almost breeze
on my skin
before dashing in for a shower
Water is scarce in the world
and fires rage
It frightens me at night
when I worry about climate
and future
and kids
How can I be happy when
reality is so bleak?
Yet I stand in the shower
and rejoice
Heart full of gratitude
and a final rinse of cold
brings it all home
I am consistently surprised at the joy
that presents
Is it the space
between death
and life?
Between destruction
and beauty?
When I find myself dying
will I find a bloom
somehow?
Might there be a bloom
of new leaders
come to fill November
with hope?
Will there be stretches of good earth
growing flowers
that nurture
the creatures
who come to sip?
Mary Fogel is a poet and late-blooming adventurer. She retired from the counseling field and child advocacy in 2018. In 2023, she faced the loss of her husband of 18 years and of her best friend. Although she had been writing poetry for 20 years, her focus on writing became central to her recovery. Mary has been fortunate to fall in love again, find a writing group, and begin a new life in 2025 that involves a great deal of joy and gratitude.
