Call of the Wild and the Free

Honking cacophony
so ordinary
so noisy and splendid
will it last

squawking messages
cooperation mode
shifting positions
toward same flocking goals

dissident voices
no modulation
interfering forces
to forward motion

democratic cacophony
so extraordinary
so raucous and splendid
will it last?

Snow Globe

Finest, silting snow
drifting lightly
ever so downward

winter-bare branches
collecting layers
at gathering pitch

coated evergreens
with fondant frosting
ready for tasting

forest-green cabin
gift-wrapped in white
lit with glowing lights

two figures inside
snow-spun cocoon
in suspended bliss.

Galactic Visit

Galactic fairies
scattered Milky Way stardust
across snow-brightened landscapes last night

diamondesque beauties
glittering on lunar-lit fields
elusive to collecting touch

tiny crystalline twinklings
re-reflecting tomorrow’s light
back into dim millenia.

Kingdom of Confusion

Grocery store shelves
filled with confusion
tricky to segregate
all the choices
at eye-shopping speed

especially toothpaste
squeezed in displays
for brighter incisors
enamel toughening
even pinker gums

I choose one combo
in red sparkly box
sure of my spotting
yet back home again
with unwanted gel!

Cosmic and Myopic

Time to duck for cosmic cover
the Myopians are on the march

two-legged plague loose on the planet
locusts stripping bare the lushness

liars, cheaters, hustlers in charge
playing strike-it-richer endgames

compelled by ravenous addictions
heedlessly racing to all blocked exits

fantasy wishes upending facts
conundrum of human cleverness

retreat now to vestal pleasures
raising bees and Persephone’s seeds.

Dancing Cherries

Long-stemmed red cherries
dancing on a dish

jitterbugging
with lindy twirls and twists

soft-shoe kick routines
tapping edge to edge

Charleston-style flapping
tango mixed with jigs

allemande right and left
promenading home

four dancing cherries
slightly tipsy in still life.

Earthly Sacrament

Flowery flutes
slender pitchers
grassy net
buttercups
curved leaf dippers

receiving chalices

transforming rain
silent dew drops
graceful snowflakes
glistening ice
nourishing fog

watery sacraments

circulating
in global patterns
intricate forms
multiphasic
miracle draught

free for the taking.

Ballerina Tree

Bejeweled
fully flounced
in graceful pose

foliated
in glowing colors
limb to limb

tips of red
dipped in orange
gilded edges

slightest curtsey
east-west bows
with soft breezes

a sudden gust
discarded heap
of tutu leafage.

Cloud Dreams

Who hasn’t wished to step upon a cloud
dash across stratospheric fields
just ahead
of opening holes
and separating seam

somersault over downy puffs
in repeating rolls
with perfect equipoise
free of gravity
and rational restraints

ride a mare’s tail on steering winds
above equatorial zones
oceans, ice caps, desert sands
rapturously
with one flicker of consciousness

a doer of these ethereal stunts
whilst dreaming in my cloud-soft bed.

Humans Can't Stand Enlightenment

Gather round ye gullible masses
Savonarola morphed into Osama
it’s witch-burning time again

forget about learning and edification
stampede library and school barricades
it’s book-burning time again

stockpile guns and terrorizing weapons
right is might instead of reason
it’s fear-and-paranoia time again

simplify religion to be exclusive
stamping out love, charity for all
it’s persecution time again

throw away any progressive momentum
corrupting power now for the few
it’s dictator time again

turn in neighbors protesting for peace
join the mob of ignorant pawns
it’s witch-burning time again.

Bird Bush

Bird bush with a thousand perches
shorn empty of summer green
flowing cascade of bare branches
beaded up with feathered beggars
forming queues for feeder food.

Bird bush without definition
its roses, leaves replenished
exploding to full-blossom garb
camouflage for secret missions
occasional flittings in and out.

I Met Myself Today

I met myself today
a young girl
running fast and fleet
along our path
eager seeker
certain of her course
toward impending adventure

I wished to borrow her spirit
albeit briefly
to ride the thrill once more
of unadulterated play
at full speed
with no limits
imposed by others

I felt renewed
reminded of livelier days
exploring
chasing the sun
living close to the moment
truly in synchrony
with my soul.

Grammar Games

He, she and I
now English waifs

casual discards
in grammar games

easy forfeits
without enforcers

me, him and her
ubiquitous winners.

Quiet

When the conduit for sound empties
quiet is

hospitable
embracing presence

invites connection
portal to something

reaching
beyond corporeal

to completeness
amen.

Fall Foliage #2

Sun-drenched, seasonal days
alternating with lesser light

casting off late summer’s green
for technicolor makeover

filling up forest spaces
scarlet reds, orange, yellow

alchemizing northern woods
every other leaf turned golden

amassing autumnal riches
to appease the winter gods.

Summer Gossip

Katy can, Katy can’t
Katy does, Katy doesn’t
Katy will, Katy won’t

Katy was, Katy wasn’t
Katy would, Katy wouldn’t
Katy could, Katy couldn’t

Katy shall, Katy shan’t
Katy should, Katy shouldn’t
Katy did, Katy did, Katy did.

Meditation

If this is my last day
I am content
sitting outside in weathered chair
a spectator among wondrous gardens
colored with pastels and neon flourishes
zinnias, cosmos, phlox, cleome
and one leftover pansy

if this is my last day
the reds are particularly red
the greens rich and deep
the blue empyreal true
the air hums its late summer tunes
a single lemon lily among exhausted blooms
invites my undivided attention

if this is my last day
I want to hitch a ride upon a bee’s wing
to see beyond the impenetrable edge
to hear the cosmic carillon
to touch dark, enchanted matter
to find another planetary rock
circling an above-average star

if this is not my last day
I am content.

Weekend with Edith

Act One
Date: 1905
Characters: Lily and Lawrence

Lily, beautiful Lily
first to arrive
festooned in full dress

gallant Lawrence
bachelor on call
for weekend parties

pawns and playthings of local gods

measured glances
fill her face
keen for admirers

resides at fringes
of snobbish scenes
with bemusement

ancients, moderns with same stories

cultivated for grace
ornamental task
lightly anchored

observer status
omniscient
except for self

assigned to hierarchic roles

inchoate hunger
feelings suppressed
playing charades

moments of passion
in Lily’s presence
without touching

scripted for restricted choices

his probing words
briefly ignite
nascent desire

her vacuity
his insecurity
neutralize love

no trespassing on tribal rules

shed by her caste
helpless to rebuff
society’s customs

social outlier
unable to muster
against the grain

human sacrifices required.

Act Two
Time: 1913
Characters: Undine, Ralph, and Elmer

A blurred flourish
ego precedes
then Undine

ineffectual Ralph
living fossil
clearly labeled

brash, eager Elmer
bender of rules
nothing to lose

parvenus astride gift horses

eye-catching
eye-arresting
upstart beauty

listless, pale
bluish tinged
half-blooded

no pedigree
just wits and charm
in fact sufficient

in anti-deterministic plots

magnetic face
snapping male eyes
to attention

highly evolved
niche too narrow
almost invisible

rich, garish color
of his new money
easily blends

up for sale at social auction

good for half hour
perhaps bit longer
of banal chatter

mismatched husband
from Washington Square
with Miss Midwest

nouveau collector
of antique wealth
for social ascent

repopulating haut monde stage

always looking
for next best bet
no interest in love

her nuptial fix
for several years
until another

mephistophelean
with clever schemes
to win Undine’s favor

inauguration of self-made epoch

covetously wanting
more and more
just for herself

honor besmirched
with loss of son
no raison d’etre

catalyst for greed
modern financier
with swindling risks

Ego and Mammon triumphant.

Act Three
Time: 1920
Characters: May, Ellen, and Newland

May in motion
classical style
old New York assets

cousin Ellen
estranged countess
on drawing-room stage

dependable Newland
analytic yet
keeps the covenant

clash of primal needs and wishes

performs her role
with perfection
bowing to all

no naïve maiden
light years ahead
of familial kin

loyal son, friend
brother, lawyer
colleague, relation

trapped inside society’s cage

sees clearly
within her sphere
what must happen

ignores own heart
wanting solace
comfort and safety

flies near flame
of Ellen’s face
but unrequited

nurture of self or chosen others

happy with choices
unbeset
by social strictures

confidently stepping
upon convention
her beauty prevails

erstwhile dilettante
in arts and theater
no bohemian he

attracted to exclusive options

marries well
quite content
with one-sided love

without illusions
charms well honed
for survival

trapped by duty
accepts his fate
cannot escape

in pursuit of Socratic virtue

knows her feelings
acts without malice
noblest of lot

explores the heart
arts, metaphysics
in Parisian salons

lives with regrets
thwarted romantic
coupled with sweet May

well tempered with existential truths.

Queen Anne's Visit

Rows and rows of attendants
stationed by the roadsides
bouquets bobbing in the breeze

nodding to one another
across masses of lace
jostling for best position

side-by-side white brigades
with final-minute fidgets
anticipating Queen Anne.

History with an Asterisk

Frolicking upon some bones
hopscotching over skulls
buried beneath amnesia

pretending serenity
in prettified abodes
built upon amnesia

reinventing vistas
with rich tourist harvests
fertilized by amnesia

chatting in street cafes
among Habsburg splendors
encased in amnesia

time to stand in memory’s dock
take the oath and remember evil.

Leaf Play

One by one by one
tumbling at full tilt
eager acrobats
pinwheeling through space

one by one by one
dancing with the sun
lazy parachutes
settling without sound

one by one by one
waltzing to Strauss
extra pirouettes
accepting applause

one by one by one
riding unseen waves
precision surfers
curling toward the ground

one by one by one
performing with grace
last-act thespians
exiting the stage.

Grandmother's Picture

She I only knew
as Miss Bonnie
in oval frame
with dark, Irish eyes
her gentle manner
made manifest
through my father
in daily ways

now graying myself
her faded picture
explains my face
ancestral mirror
with lineal reach
to long-ago clans
in Britannia
and Gallic lands.

Carpe Diem

Rembrandt faces
in window frames
first the boy
then his father

against stark black
their visages shine
one bright blonde
the other duller

dawn brings fullness
noon leans to decline
these looking glasses
gather up time.

Beach Scenes

Bruegel at play
in the new world

teeming murals
on beachside sand

high-kite flyers
seekers of shells

drip castle makers
myriad wave-chasers

all erased quickly
by tidal time

canvas ready
for next day’s art.

Missing Bees

Gone swarming…
with search parties dispatched
over and under the rainbow
to find unprostituted blooms

gone swarming…
without any earthly trace
led away by some pied piper
not paid his honey wages

gone swarming…
higher and higher
lost, disoriented
by toppling magnetic poles

gone swarming…
up the climate-change hole
through a rip in space-time
fleeing human hubris.

Wild Rhubarb in the Desert

Gray-green sagebrush
well bleached grasses

crowding the desert plantscape
to casual eye and casual mind

not admitting others
missing, missing

startling green
tropical lush wild rhubarb

still surviving broad of leaf
remnant of optimistic times

making its last stand
sunbathing, basking.

Transubstantiation

A piece of food
a piece of my flesh

two single cells
a newborn child

three little letters
Einstein’s genius

four musical notes
Beethoven’s Fifth

random words
Bardian sonnet

artist’s palette
Arlesienne fields

crystalline sand
stained-glass pane

lacy snowflakes
Antarctic glacier

beams of sunlight
maple leaves

liquid droplets
rainbow mirage

cosmic dust
planetary earth

billions of clasped hands
circumferential circle.

Condolence Note to E. Dickinson

I feel your shattered heart
revealed in shards of verse
keening momentous loss
of Transcendental friend

wedding dress in readiness
instead Death interrupts
he conveyed to Cosmic peace
you trapped in Mortal state

left behind on this side
estranged from wedded bliss
Nature’s solace you accept
from chorus of bumblebees

born again in betrothal
its white becomes your shroud
daily dying now the task
parsed through Poetry’s muse

exquisite pain you feel
as Queen of Calvary
obliged by Life to linger
pondering Heaven beyond

agnostic though I am
Hope still sings and flutters
perchance for six score years
thee and he together There.

Easy Prey

Misplaced glasses
out of sight lines
for close-up task

stripped of vision
hands quickly scan
tops of surfaces

paralyzed in place
afraid to smash
omnipotent lens

eventually downed
to four-point posture
hunting, nose to ground

unspectacled me
a ready-to-eat meal
for some prehistoric beast.

Reunion

Blizzard-blown snow
resting on Kilimanjaro

monsoon raindrops
filling, flooding the Ganges

fractured sea ice
losing Arctic definition

storm-tossed hailstones
bouncing to and from Oz

glorious clouds
featherbedding the sky

all phasing in alignment
with cascading connections

drizzle, rivulets, torrents
of streaming nostalgia

after years of dispersal
liquid again in friendship.

Natural Intercourse

Welcomed by woodland ferns
with no expectations for conversation

through an archway of maple saplings
into a green-splashed place

offered a seat among the boulders
feet propped on moldering log

leaves wind-chiming in the breeze
stone walls hosting the quietude

no ambiguous expectations
no need for words or conversation.

Divine Moment

Escaped again
from the clutches of the ancient Migraine
with grappling claws of a hawk
tenacious jaws of the crocodile
primed to crush

rescued by therapeutic pill
miraculous molecules storming the brain’s barricades
to slay the writhing Torments
ready to enslave and torture every cell
to death

a great calm replaces the pain
with re-entry into Eden
transformative sacrament
gratefully received
perhaps this is God.

Ideal Spies

Untapped pool of super spies
with highly honed antennae
well attuned to people’s guile

savvy in domestic stakeouts
mission-ready for shopping malls
schools, offices, bingo halls

invisible in capes and cloaks
no need for any daggers
passing easily unnoticed

clandestine agents now for hire
women over a certain age
flaunting their gray disguise.

Denouement

He would not meet with her
the mother of a dead soldier
Casey’s mother

the tide ebbed
the winds shifted
a sea wave curled

the atmosphere shuddered
a tornado touched down
a levee gave way

tectonic plates moved
a giant sunspot exploded
one star in its distant orbit wobbled ever so slightly

he would not meet with her
the mother of a dead soldier
Casey’s mother.

River Visitor

Skimming, propelling
fast at fluid speed

thrusting kayak forward
between air and water

face bathed by a breeze
steeped in marshy smells

slipping past the riverbank
attentive redwings watch

parting weed-filled water
my paddle snares some stems

a great blue lifts itself
turtles collect the sun

momentarily I
metamorphose in place

floating like a lily
on a summer instant

granted affinity
with this riverine niche.

Repaying Nature's Debt

Economics of life and death
capital on loan as matter
energy due as recompense
to Nature’s unforgiving bank

profits clear from flowers, fauna
open-ended for humankind
bottom-line assessment test
value-added moments in time

every person with potential
sorting out investment options
ways to reap consequential days
before return to dust and ashes.

Necktie Fashions

Masculine fashion
comfortable styles
no torture required
except for neckties

civilizing garb
since Eden’s disgrace
symbolic id leash
vestigial fig leaves.

My Bluebird Charm

Totem friend
safeguarding your house
and also mine

early morning watch
ushering sunrise
in blue and russet tux

daytime cameos
perching high-wired
in silhouette

flashes of rich color
painting the canvas
in my eyes

totem friend
bestowing gifts
in daily doses.

Return of the Meteor Showers

Coming soon to darkest skies
star-studded meteor showers
wraparound celestial screen
different re-run every month
no charge for evening viewing

unscripted, spontaneous shows
Perseus and his astral kin
shooting atmospheric fireworks
vaporizing space debris
streaking ghostlike through the night

astonishingly music’s missing
no mock echo of Stars Wars theme
human ears not tuned to hear
the Big Bang symphonic sounds
rumbling through the universe.

Stirring Words

Excite the body politic
plant the flag of lofty hopes
all good deeds without delay
ever e pluribus unum

sail with democratic winds
to safe harbors of freedomland
equal rights for all the people
ever e pluribus unum

spread the wealth on rising tide
open wide the gates of promise
catch up, lift up the left behind
ever e pluribus unum

stirring words quickly muted
ideals subsumed by eager greed
system works for wealthy few
evermore me only unum.

Dreamworld

Trapped in vivid video game
eerie green light refracting

marooned on alien spaceship
surrounded by glowing white

locked in missile-launch control room
well illuminated in red

lost in maze of sinister labs
“no exit” flashing in code

probable dreamworld gone awry
overload of nightmare plots

fantasized by muddled mind
wandering in drowsy state

bewitched by blinking shadows
in darkest, pre-dawn hours

transmitting “on” and “off” status
of domestic digital stuff.

Too Long at the Fair

The spark extinguished
sadness pervades

lives running on rote
deprived of joy

day dawns, finishes
another round done

light and dark cycle
without renewal

the wonder gone
from present, future

long overdue
for eternity.

Beachfront Barrier Reef

Two-word iterations
with tropic illusions
redundant labels
for beachfront hotels

sea wave coral shell
beach dune ocean sand
coral sea beach wave
beach sand ocean coral

sand dune ocean shell
sea shell beach coral
ocean dune sand wave
sea coral ocean beach

shell dune ocean wave
beach sea coral dune
coral wave beach shell
sea sand coral ocean

coveted strip of sand
between street and sea
now concrete reef
of beach-blocking towers.

Haunted Historic Houses

Public guests in once-private spaces
like curious mourners at a wake
hearing whispery dissertations
immense fortunes often squandered
beset personages still haunting
drawing room and parlor premises

comparable story lines prevail
rags to riches to rags again
calamity or overreaching
fiddling in grasshopper mode
not insuring for disaster
persuaded the party will outlast

lavishly gowned, laced-up matrons
gazing elegantly down
beside portly, vested partners
faces frozen for endless time
giving noblesse oblige lessons
not to underestimate surprise.

Another Affair

Giddy again
about tonight

rush to finish
head racing heart

eager to get home
for sweet, new embrace

quick change of clothes
comfortable, relaxed

sacramental meal
bread, cheese, sparkling wine

bits of chocolate
to set the mood

pulse rate quickens
expecting intimacy

I begin another book.

Cycle of Now

Daily promise evanescent
tomorrow’s repeating chance
paradise lost, regained

chasing backyard butterflies
climbing trees toward heaven
endless play in the present

analyzing, probing life
prospecting unclear choices
anxieties haunt the heart

working countless hours
investing precious minutes
for generational futures

child again with memory
gifted with intimate time
reclaiming the joy of now.

The Insomniac Bat-Poet and Me

I empathize with Ms. Bat-Poet
insomniac during the day
hanging upside-down with her peers
composing, remembering in a vertical plane.

I lie awake in the night
recumbent by my husband
words inundating the brain
arranging, memorizing in a horizontal plane.

Renascence

Freed from work and family stresses
my mind detaches
gyrating through creative space
in search of…
in search of…
in search of…
a generative place.

Like Minds

Not many
scattered
like fossil finds

relics
resistant to
acquisitive deeds

Cassandras
consigned as
anachronists

stragglers
still dancing to
the planet’s rhythms

old flower petals
floating on
watershed streams.

Phlox in the Junkyard

Patches of pink phlox
bouquets of beauty
eye-arresting
amongst junkyard stuff

voluptuous color
stunning companions
for rusty sculptures
of old pick-up trucks

dueling esthetics
suggestive tableau
of his and hers
in whimsical art show.

Most Perfect Soul

A most perfect soul
is the hummingbird
fluttering fast and free
tasting the sweetest nectars

a glittering vision
speed-flitting through space
dispatched perhaps
from beyond the thither.

Tulip Greetings

One hundred tulips glowing
radiating red

posed in triumphal rows
for spring aficionados

prospecting bees and butterflies
miscellaneous passers-by

particularly the Canada geese
fixtures in opposite field

basking in
this brilliant incandescence.

Static Language

Indiscriminate beads
strung along a thread
leading to nowhere

speechifying mischief
counterfeit refrains
without persuasion

impotent opinions
philosophic jousts
stripped of consequence

rapping choristers
extravagant sophists
overloading the circuits

descent into babble
jabberwocky traps
until nothing reveals

marooned humanity
lost in evolution
incommunicado.

Surface Tension

Fragile fabric stretched taut
separating states
coherence and chaos

invisible veneer
few molecules thick
in delicate equilibrium

tied down, held down
by anchored ornaments
of civilized illusions

keepers of society
in fairy-tale safety
from Darwinian triage.

Rome and the Barbarians

Barbarians
within, without
aggressors all

acquisitive
ignorant
still primitive

alpha warriors
dangerous schemes
without reason

Rome teetering
cut adrift
from wisdom

hegemony’s act
abbreviated
on rapacious stage.

Post-Contemporary Domiciles

Some columns from Tara
a Parthenon-style porch
windows by Palladio
gargoyles for gutter spouts

Quebeckian curved roof
with Monticello dome
hellenistic pediments
arches from Caesar’s Rome

Eiffel-like ironwork
wraparound porticos
towers of Irish fieldstone
with opposing gazebos

intricate embellishments
in Victorian fashion
eclectic architecture for
happy-ever-after mansions.

Perfect Poems

Plotting poetic course
across current of words

weaving telltale threads
in contextual motif

exercising word play
to pitch-perfect potential

sharpening phrases
to metaphoric edge

carving for brevity
in slices of exactness

reaching for Eternity
as Miss Dickinson did.

Transition Zone

Stepping on an icy floe
melting faster than before

six decades of finished life
left behind on terra firma

setting course for two or more
depending on the weather.

Morning Walk

A plethora of companions
inhabit my morning walk
wood thrush with its vibrato
gently bowing cosmos
rippling meadow grasses
vast palettes of blues and greens

I enter a boggy vista
with lily-dotted pondscape
bankside cattail stands
rampaging purple loosestrife
genial joe-pye weed
bathed in delicious, tundral air

I fill my imaginary basket
with lemon-flavored blooms
vetch, yarrow, daisy fleabane
bunches of trumpet flowers
occasional morning glories
primroses, intricate leaves

interloper on this scene
I feel my sublimating soul
dispersed by soft-winged breezes
absorbed into the firmament
in pause with all its atoms
singing silent hallelujahs

I step onto the forest trail
knee deep in feathery ferns
a soaring quiet fills the space
held up by arching branches
the lowly path must lead me back
to human occupations.

Evolution of a Marriage

Me
he
we

them
them
them
them

we
we
we
we

he or me
me or he
them and them.

Snowman

Snow-built buddha
living its cycle
temporarily
in perpetuity

benevolent icon
brought to being
by human touch
sculpting nature

nirvana’s aspect
blessing the peace
silently cleansing
before renewal

gentle visitation
ephemeral link
transforming soon
to born-again spring.

Dogsled Ride

Joyous pursuit of forward motion
coalescing as single force

unleashed to fly without wings
like Apollo hauling the sun

undulating pure sensation
obligated to go, go, go

gliding across crisp-clean snow
toward illusive finish line

racing to catch the spinning earth
for launch into transcendent space.

Botanical Families

Vines envelop
a family tree
in earnest

fresh tendrils
overshoot
familiar limbs

add-on grafts
introduce
exotic forms

withered stems
disappear
without notice

mutant others
smother
lineal memory.

Tulips Vivants

I suspect cut tulips frolic
like Tchaikovsky’s suite of toys
when the household sleeps and dreams

wishing to adjust positions
like Degas’ ballerinas
bowing, dipping and tossing heads

rejecting hierarchic rank
like Van Gogh’s sunny flowers
each one angling for best exposure

dramatizing pure euphoria
like Beethoven’s Ode to Joy
rendered here in glorious color.

Who's Next?

Dinosaurs outdone
trilobites expunged
wary cockroaches
tortoises hang on

great white extant
dodo bird gone
crested cranes yes
not one mastodon

predatory bugs
bacteria galore
no more aurochs
or giant moas

toads persevere
quagga erased
brown/white zebroid
from Africa’s plain

Miss Waldron’s red
colobus monkey
missing from Ghana
quite likely extinct

great auks silent
also heath hens
humans unscathed yet
in evolution’s games.

Molehills Matter

Molehills matter
icy patch
curb surprise
rolling root
uneven ground

molehills matter
careful steps
firmer grips
steeper slopes
increased odds

molehills matter
misplaced names
vision gaps
slow recall
brain mistakes

molehills matter
after sixty.

Home Movies

Museum of fleeting images
canvas-fitted window frames
apple tree in Van Gogh’s style
flowers in wild profusion
bluebirds queuing up for baths
refracted through looking glass

pastiche of picture-moments
dusty memories, vivid scenes
eager downhill sledders
scavengers for Easter eggs
hordes of quick running feet
accumulating seasons

tapestry of mullioned views
slow motion and fast action
ephemera of outside art
cycled through panes of time
reels rewinding to unwind
panoply of home place.

Random Painting

Art grotesquerie of sorts
relics of Americana
still life bizarrely arranged
floating as basement clutter
uncomfortably composed.

Artful deed of inference
symbols from simpler past
seemingly in raised relief
evocative with power
linking wistful now to then.

Ours Not the Only Universe

Ours not the only universe
cosmologists hypothesize
one of many quantum bubbles
Big Banged, in-a-flash inflated
expanding to gravity’s edge

another human diminution
only an ordinary universe
one of trillion-million ripples
living out its physics-driven cycle
in the endlessness of space-time

no boundaries to the cosmos
with bubbling-up geysers
of incredible universes
evolving, improvising
to more harmonious worlds.

First Day of School

The scarlet tree
first in line
one among green
eager to shine

head of parade
brazenly bright
no time to wait
for fall’s half light

strike up the band
brilliant red cheer
stand and salute
Autumn’s New Year.

Fall Foliage #1

Sitting inside a landscape
of reinforcing light and color

north woods flickering into flame
inexorable its daily spread
blazing through stands of maple
torched treetops of orange, red
on canvas of forest fabric

shifting angles of slanted light
dazzling, diffused, refracted
through myriad leaf filters
stoking up, unleashing
the brilliant fires of autumn

time now to step outside the frame
before this beauty sears my soul.

Vernal Stream

Brimming vernal stream
shedding icy snow melt
with freshet abandon

wending with gravity
in April and May
on its buoyant journey

s-shaped meanders
transforming soon
into meadow grasses

summer eclipsing
its watery imprint
perennially retraced.

Lions Behind the Woodpile

Just back from Africa
lions behind the woodpile

wildlife picture-taking safari
lions behind the woodpile

close-ups of slow-motion elephants
lions behind the woodpile

watchful baboons, cheetah groups
lions behind the woodpile

scarier, big cat encounters
lions behind the woodpile

roaming pride of hungry lions
lions behind the woodpile

hunting for dinner after dark
lions behind the woodpile

alarmingly beside my tent
lions behind the woodpile

cape buffalo selected instead
lions behind the woodpile

grass-fed, free range, gourmet beef
lions still behind the woodpile.

Hominid Beginnings

Hominids at the beginning
watched by wild African eyes
evolving best survival fit
with vast Serengeti’s plain
fertile, untamed, expansive
for grazers and stalking takers

upright, generic creatures
without giraffean neck
eagle eyes, bat-eared hearing
cheetah speed, elephant heft
or zebra’s camouflage cover
just crafty, ferocious lusts

witnesses with conscious ken
sitting beneath acacia shade
separate from passing parade
alone knowing the paradox
ecstasy, sadness, evil, good
in Eden’s garden of choices.

Getaway

One decadent day
fog-enshrouded hours
in Polynesian dream

wine undressing minds
fantasizing fun
in a languid way

jazz igniting
suggestive smiles
engaging glances

gently pulling
interested loins
together again.

Merry Bands of Verbena

Merry bands of verbena
no pondrous sense of being
singing mute and gaudy
in loud existential show

flecks of electric color
exploding in garden plot
pointillistic portrait
outside exuberant bounds

amoral botany bits
oblivious of purpose
responding to the sun
with carefree salutations

particles of attraction
between us incompatibles
reaching across creation
to rhapsodize our moment.

Gardenside Drama

The moving and the rooted
darting flashes, colored splashes
gardenside routine drama

sassy, orange sherbet lilies
undecided peony buds
buzzing rhododendron blooms

phlox flim-flamming spearmint stems
old-maid roses shedding petals
dogwood flowers stuck to leaves

incandescent hummingbirds
swallowtail’s scalloped flight
two sipping purple finches

catbird shrieking loud meows
hobnobbing worm-fed robins
earnest ants at earnest work

grass ruthlessly growing green
chipmunk prepping fast for winter
small gray specks in distant sky.

Bird Spotting

Orchard oriole nine o’clock
in the maple on the right
do you see it, do you see it?

halfway in, good open view
now dropped down in the foliage
do you see it, do you see it?

chestnut-sided handsome flyer
smaller form of Northern kin
do you see it, do you see it?

end of limb at seven o’clock
moving now to vee of tree
do you see it, do you see it?

along main trunk to first branch right
middle left near clump of leaves
do you see it, do you see it?

just jumped up to second limb
on display at very end
YES I SEE IT, YES I SEE IT!

Live Oak Tree

The live oak extends
its southern welcome
defying weather
gravity and time

elongated limbs
untethered in space
floating almost free
resisting earth’s reach

low-country sentinel
inviting climbers
up sinuous routes
to treetop quiet

bird-nest seclusion
for weary creatures
seeking sanctuary
from insatiable change.

Patchwork Memory

What sorts and sears
ordinary living into memory?

Not many childhood days get set
some holidays over episodic others
no linearity in remembering
just snapshots of lived-in time

intense mothering deeds forgot
vivid family details blur
lifetimes crammed somewhere
retrievable as bits and pieces

first love, first work, first this and that
some learned facts remain in reach
RNA-tagged for easier recall
in a many-layered mind

extreme events stick wanted or not
exotic sights rise to the top
while accumulating minutes, years
pile up in jumbled memory heap.

How does ordinary living
sort and sear into memory?

Goldfinches and the Cosmos

Heavy heads swaying
with gentlest breezes
cosmos in motion

flimsy stems, feathery limbs
pink, white, claret-red
in graceful motifs

then swinging wildly
with golden finches
in their trapeze mode

hiding, seeking, leaping
in balletic exploits
foraging for treats

darting bud to blossom
creating suspicion
that fun ensues too.

God in a Box

Religions imprison
God in discrete boxes
exclusive, accessorized

inside architecture
of fantastic promises
conditional guarantees

dichotomous truth-telling
heaven or hell, in or out
tolerating not one doubt

islands of isolation
distracting human minds
with arbitrary power.

Let the walls come tumbling down
spirituality flow among
finding the peace of Oneness.

Disturbed Areas

Scarred, parched empty Earth
sucked dry of oil and water
treeless deserts blowing in the wind
vanished ice sheets, islands, cities
extinct reefs
lifeless oceans, silent skies
depleted everything
apocalypse to come

humans past wandering free
hunting, gathering, plundering
enough to provide
waste not noticed
ever takers, never stewards
wanting more
and more and more
until no more

humans now overflowing
too little food, even less water
too much fighting
greedy and mean
scorched-earth work
unsustainable
biology winning
not collaboration

Cassandras dismissed
three billion more people
in four decades
still less regard
for impending ruin
no integrated efforts
for equilibrated living
within planetary means

nearing no doubt
that irreversible threshold
for human intervention
if not, then
ditch lilies, blood-red poppies
lovely, Mendelian lupines
inheritors of disturbed areas
will resurrect the Earth.

The Sweetest Sleep

Enveloping, invisible heat
emanates from wood-burning stove
soothes, sedates mind and body
into meditative state

while ensconced on sofa or cot
hypnotized by black box warmth
mind untethers, floats, escapes
ascending to the sweetest sleep

perhaps presaging eternal rest
not like nightly sleeping spells
riven with subliminal struggles
helping unravel daytime life

just an agreeable amnesia
no memory with any texture
unremembered glimpse of nirvana
suffused with ambrosial promise

gentle return to wakefulness
the mind’s cleared of its clutter
no weariness from anxious dreams
just refreshed, contented being.

Preserving a Late Summer's Day

I want to store late summer’s air
densely soft, semi-sweetish
ripening hay, wild grape vapors
evening effusions of nicotiana
for reclamation in cold January.

I want to store late summer’s sounds
its deafening insect chorus
bee brigades, cicadas’ chatter
tree crickets trilling with katydids
for reprise in quiet January.

I want to store late summer’s flowers
willowy cosmos, garish zinnias
dependably blooming petunias
pushy phlox, azure morning glories
for rejoicing in drab January.

I want to store late summer’s garden
flush with ears of corn’s sweet flesh
crispy beans, foot-long squash
tomatoes bursting through their skins
for relishing in bland January.

Then greedily licking my fingers
while dipping into the winter hoard
of backyard hive honey
and homegrown raspberry jam
I can savor summer in January.

Genealogy of the Squirrel

Contemporary, modern, post-modern
full of unfocused angst
obliterated quickly in daily din
of life and death in the universe

academy-driven conventions
obscurantist, heuristic, tautologic
heralds of higher consciousness
deploring the loss of nature

drenched with ego-laden emotions
scripted with missing words
hollowed of any useful meaning
inducing blind mind’s bluff

rather more intriguing now
the unresearched genealogy
of recently returned gray squirrels
long absent this past summer.

Religion as the Anti-Christ

Religion is the anti-Christ
when it favors
Christian over Muslim
Muslim over Jew
believer over non-believer.
Jesus teaches us to love one another.

Religion is the anti-Christ
when it favors
the unborn over the born
the dying over the living
life after death over life on earth.
Jesus teaches us to love one another.

Religion is the anti-Christ
when it favors
men over women
rich over poor
straight people over gay people.
Jesus teaches us to love one another.

Religion is the anti-Christ
when it favors
violence over peace
persecution over tolerance
dogma over reason.
Jesus teaches us to love one another.

Religion is the anti-Christ
when it divides us
when it threatens us
when it punishes us.
Jesus teaches us to love one another.

Why have we forsaken Jesus?

Sorting Through an Overstocked Memory

A passing tableau
black and white cows
grazing, gazing
sends the mind
to familiar place
without a name
for the painter
from Vermont

resistance builds
against remembering
pause the process
talk, think
in alternate track
yet his name
stays away
at memory’s edge

minutes later
the cows return
tickling the mind
tantalizingly close
tip of the tongue
almost, almost

hours later
another peek
through the cobwebs
nearly reveals
a helpful glimpse
still blank unfilled

days later
with no priming
Woody’s name
pops out unannounced
relief comes
with recalling

brain remains
in working order.

Glimpse of a Shadow

A solitary figure
bending in the cornfield
weeds row by row by row
across the patch
nothing out of order
same for many summers

a second glimpse
the figure missing
the field remains
untilled, bereaved
routines gone away
without the farmer

uninvited insight
triggers a vision
of approaching change
mind switches back
unwilling, unable
to consider sadness.

Spring Fling Green

Some trees get dressed up for spring
lime-green swatches of see-through lace
cover exposed, bony frames
still in shades of several grays
leftover from fall strip tease
of color-filled, deciduous leaves.

Branches of oak, maple, birch
fetchingly veiled in gossamer green
exhibit limber, lanky lift
pushing, shoving their youthful way
in lusty bursts of light-green growth
among sedate evergreens.

Delicate swirls of unfurling leaves
give shapely silhouettes to trees
come-hither sites for birthing birds
and hordes of honey-making bees
their sexual secrets soon to be hid
in the dense dark of summer green.