Tall Pines

Soaring southern columns
imagination-stretchers
beyond lofty cloud tops

staid New England pillars
well and deeply grounded
with elephant-footed roots

Pinus taeda to P. strobus
loblolly and white
parenthetical to my life

friendliest giants
stalwart companions
in protective stance

longtime overseers
mostly benevolent
to denizens underneath

sentient sentries
above the human fray
until decapitated.

Unfussy Debutante

How easily she fits
among familiar things

propped, slightly swaddled
beside the wood-burning stove

under protective gaze
of paintings, books, and relics

next to tapestried sofa
in view of perched toucan

tiny, radiant presence
with hypnotic force

perfect miniature
linking past and future

a magical addition
to the family landscape

engaging us all
in born-again innocence.

Fall Foliage #15

The forest under siege
in paintball warfare

exploding pods of color
golden yellows, scarlet reds

eclipsing brightly
the vast, expansive green

such my bird's eye view
from Airbus window seat

high above the Rockies
aspen and maple-splattered

empyreal glimpses
of fall's magnificence.

Final Bows

Last leaves of the season
stuck tenaciously to the stage

colorful ornaments
still in aesthetic pose

more in starring roles
with left-behind status

reluctant performers
at their valedictory moment

a wild, buffeted ride
gentle balletic twirls

or wafting slightly side to side
into the grand finale pile.

Old Storyline

How rickety I feel
on occasion

unstable ankle
recalcitrant brain
achy back
and balky knees

are these the teasers
for my aging plot?

Joyful Moment

How fun to pounce upon a leaf
as grasshopper, raindrop, or fly

to bounce and slide in easy style
against its green expanse

breakaway from routine jobs
in nature's scripted scheme

a joyful moment only allowed
for small, ephemeral things.

Why Does That Robin Sing All Day?

Our robin-in-residence
at unmodulated forte
from pre-dawn to post-dusk

for many summer weeks
at unchanging volume
without a scratchy note

long past nesting season
with no answering call
still undaunted flinger of song.

At the Seaside

Endless symphony of sound
rhythmic, reversible surf
rock-pounding wave action

staccato shrieking of gulls
occasional passing quacker
ubiquitous beachside chatter

seasonal orchestration
a soothing musicale
for our restless selves.

War and Peace

Channeling Emily in France
upon a riverbank
gazing back at
poppy-splattered ramparts

wall of time
stretching backwards
facing forward
encasing selfsame souls

hearing gladsome birdsong
among the weeping years
singing what can be
in gentle Tranquility.

Member of the Club

Parisian caparisoned
male and female
with je ne sais pas quoi

tightly wrapped
muffled, loosely tied
freely streaming

silky, plaided
striped, solid
square polka-dotted

casually accessorized
chicly fashionable
until the ten-thousandth one.

The Human Race

It is a marathon
different route for each

uneven ups and downs
with arbitrary curves

and, if lucky, perhaps
one elaborate plain

measured in decade laps
of heartbreak and satisfactions

diminishments accumulate
beyond mid-century years

hobbling, limping, stretcher-borne
all do reach the finish line.

Hard to Imagine

Hard to imagine...not

living at this consensual spot
rooted in rock-hatching soil

looking out my kitchen window
witness to long-farmed field

walking briskly to nearby bog
observer of its graceful seasons

relaxing in backyard grasses
among monumental pines

receiving wildlife visitors
on their unannounced rounds

picking berries, corn, fresh flowers
from brimming garden patches

meditating midst domestic things
mix of relics, books, and toucan

embracing woodstove warmth
as cherished, faithful presence

living at this long-savored spot
fixed in modest, hospitable space

hard to imagine...not.

Sexy Underwear

His and hers
entangled expertly
in drying cycle

not attracted to
blouses, socks
or diaphanous gowns

nylon on cotton
ecstatically clinging
in random embrace

always together
intimately paired
after each whirlwind affair.

Grand Morning

Perfect bundle in between
stuffed into green sleep sack

cocooned, almost mummified
except for arms and head

softest paws, five-fingered
intertwined with old, old ours

squeezing secret-coded
early morning messages.

Weighted Dice

Pair of sixes
with each roll
in destiny's game

where born
of whom
and when

plenitude
food, books
knowledge

where born
of whom
and when

love, hope
nature's bounty
opportunity

where born
of whom
and when

life's lucky take
with weighted dice
for three score and ten.