Apple Picnic

Seated on grassy thatch
beneath an unblemished sky

immersed in
fall’s paradisiacal light

with other sugar-seekers
ants, yellow jackets, honeybees

nibbling, carving
masticating

fleshy, forbidden fruits
with unrepentant pleasure.

Fall Foliage #6

Slow burn at lakeshore edge
not yet flickering
still mostly green

unseen combustion
sparking within
to smoldering color

sunlight arcing
to glowing limb tips
ready to ignite

a leafy blaze
soon to flare
into surreal state.

Fall Foliage #7

Peak blooming season
in its autumnal glory

swashbuckling gardens
with tree-size blossoms

sumptuously rich reds
fluorescent oranges

still-soft chartreuses
undulating among dark-green spikes

too grand to gather
for vase display

but arranged, rearranged
for memory’s pleasure.

Fall Foliage #8

Too bad Monet never saw New England’s fall
unleashing his impressionistic magic
to transmute its visual extravaganza

spontaneous, plein-air performance art
repeated annually, admission free
for hunters and seekers of this color feast

beyond expressive bounds of human enterprise
no amount of reproducing in words and pictures
can exhaust its spiritual replenishment

perfection in palette and presentation
silently majestic without arrogance of place
just exultant being its statement of existence.

Christmas Tree

A seasonal first
in its situation

garnished simply
with decorative stars

wafting through
symmetrical limbs

caught at certain slants
in attractive confusion

brilliant reds and golds
lit through autumn’s prism.

New Wee One

Barely hatched
many generations old

antique, feathery strands
woven anew into Lucy

with wise eyes
dark, unblinking

although speechless
she carries our stories

as encoded past
to revelatory now

reinventing hope
in its sweetest disguise.

Golden Boy

A whirlwind
flinging joy-filled flecks
in every direction

high and low
side to side
accumulating in reserve

stored carefully
as memory stacks
for future extraction.

Victorian Kin

Dressed in striped taffeta
Eliza first appears
dour and unfun
seated in old photograph

likely middle-aged
bunned not beautiful
beside Great-grandpa Sam
in casual, handsome pose

his piercing, dark eyes
under prominent brows
hers, quite kind
catch my glance again

leading me to see
a confidently placed hand
in private conversation
with his knee.

Sold Out

Politicos
CEOs
Wall Street casinos

Nabisco
Halliburton
mortgage moguls

pro athletes
even amateurs
just profiteers

most everyone
with the chance
now on the take

the haves
the have-to-haves
the bloated class

where, o where
has America gone
all souled out.

Do-It-Yourself Credo

Choose some fantasy or not
to find meaning and comfort
in this existential world

practice pagan rites
count the stars
seek nirvana
pray several times a day
read the Torah
meditate
wear a cross
worship multiple gods
engage with nature

however, be kind
do no harm to others
exploit, appreciate your consciousness.