pruning the lilacs

today I'll make decisions
about many small things
heart beats and drum beats
and beating both my kids

the cracks in the driveway
and why they won't be filled
the cracks in my smile
and the cracks around the tub

today I'll make some tea
and stir in some honey
and splash in some lemon
and look out my back window

at the lilac bush
with dead brown branches
and I will make a decision
whether to prune it all the way
down to the ground
while I wait for spring.