My dress-up daughter:

Dangling, sparkling cymbals—

      symbols rattling,

chime my history in

      dime-store jewelry.

Make-up caking…

      Lady-faking.

A gyrating, self-appreciating

      Christmas tree.

Fireworks

      Peacock

        Sunset

          Disneyland.

Magic lightning flashing fingers,

      Aurora Borealis.

Treasure chest huntress: I’m

           glad I saved that junk.

Wendy Pellegrini is a Seattle girl, daughter of a Seattle girl, and mother of a Seattle girl.

SHARING STORIES is a weekly column for and about the 50 plus crowd living in the Puget Sound region. Send your stories and photos to ariele@comcast.net. Tell local or personal stories; discuss concerns around aging and other issues; share solutions, good luck, and reasons to celebrate; poems are fine too. Pieces may be edited or excerpted. We reserve the right to select among pieces. Photos are always a plus and a one-sentence bio is requested (where you live, maybe age or career, retired status, etc.).

SHARING STORIES is featured on http://www.northwestprimetime.com, the website for Northwest Prime Time, a monthly publication for baby boomers, seniors, retirees, and those contemplating retirement. For more information, call 206-824-8600 or visit http://www.northwestprimetime.com. To find other SHARING STORIES articles on this website type “sharing stories” or a writer’s name into the search function above.