Final Respects

Flower-smothered hearse
headlight-lit caravan
in its funeral wake

playing a memory chord
my father’s cortege
two score years ago

final homecoming
to boyhood memory
its cotton fields unpicked

returning simply
to family’s embrace
seven generations deep

country vehicles
pulling aside
to honor his passing

added benediction
from friend and kin
for shared earthly minutes.

So Much I Used to Know

Names of plants
stars and constellations
capitals of the states

tropical Hawaiian flowers
I cannot retrieve now
in Puerto Rico

Orion’s companions
or Pleiades and Hyades
which is which cluster

Montpelier, Augusta, Boise
Albuquerque too
no, no, no, Santa Fe

so much lost
facts, faces, yesterday’s dinner
in memory’s dimming haze

replaced perhaps
with better knowledge
of how much we cannot know.

Two Best Birds

Reclusive creatures
choosing me
for acquaintance

paddling along
Sanibel’s edges
in quiet trance

mangrove cuckoo
staring back
from sheltered branch

slender, regal shape
its indicator tail
long, white-spotted

then sitting parked
in montane forest
with absent thoughts

glancing upward
Puerto Rican Tody
on tree’s under parts

dazzling green
lemon yellow flanks
stunning bright red bib

these exotic looks
quite a gift
to nondescript me.

Clapping at Sunset

Clapping at sunset
gratitude
for another day

bar bell ringing
cheerful toasts
join the chorus

anxiety-free
this daily ritual
for us moderns

no nightly fear
some thoughtless gods
may intervene

dispatch the sun
to some different place
in the universe.

If Prayer is Not the Answer

If prayer is not the answer
what does one do
to ritualize luck
to weight the dice of life

collect upturned pennies
count bluebird glimpses
petition the four winds
wish upon a galaxy…

if prayer is not the answer
what does one do
to focus a beam of hope
into the dark unknown

visualize success
throw back buckets of salt
chant exotic verses
meditate upon a star…

wrestler with this dilemma
upon the horns of a paradox
concocting incantations
to a capricious universe.

Weather Forecast for 2009

Tightening isobars
blustery economic winds
cage the whole country
no escape to balmy breezes

mostly lows, few sunny skies
precipitation solidifies
encasing fiscal landscapes
chilling aspirations

successive financial storms
disrupting investment patterns
pressure fields tightly wound
ripe for uncoiled chaos

tornadic ups and downs
devastation ensues
pyramid edifices
blown to kingdom come

climate change now in play

resetting dollar forecasts

against bad-asset weather

in depression-proof shelters.

In Praise of a Grand Machine

Random stab
of strange pain
on occasion

errant joint
achy somewhat
unreliable

collection of
colds, coughing
lung congestion

wince index
for lower back
tender ankle

dull headache
interrupter
of daily tasks

still...all heal
with patience pills
and magic aspirin.

Night Angel

So many lineal journeys
bring me to this loving place
night angel on my shoulder

nirvana achieved
there can be no sweeter
amidst such quietude

softest, reassuring breaths
harmonizing with my heart
binding all humanity

every possibility
beyond evil, greed, and hate
sleeping roundly in my arms

night angel on my shoulder
emissary from the kingdom of life
as reincarnated love.

When I Fell in Love with France

Long ago once upon a time
when I was twenty-five
I fell in love with France
besotted first with Paris
daily greeted by Mayor Voltaire
tending his garden patch on Rue de Seine
sly gatekeeper to glittering sights
strolling streets, evocative rooftops, catacomb mazes
amalgamated with dazzling surprises
of brilliant cuisine, glorious art, joie de vivre

lured easily into the countryside
for extended treasure hunt
to Chartres’ asymmetric spires
fragments of some celestial place

surreal, fairytale turrets
strung along the River Loire
palaces filled with royal intrigue
Chambord, Amboise, nearby Chenonceau

west to Brittany’s stunning cliffs
beyond fields of hidden menhirs
past relaxing sands at St. Malo
dotted with scarlet bathing tents

rockbound Mont Saint-Michel
mystical, seaside mirage
angular pinnacle with sacred space
reached through gauntlet of relic dealers

blood-washed, Normandy beaches
achingly memorialized
by endless acres of skeletal crosses
whispering ‘please never again’

another war glorified on Bayeux wall
a needlework, medieval saga
when William conquered Saxon Harold
winning for France Britannia’s lands

finale to our French adventure
on limestone hills above the Seine
chased after dark by chivalrous ghosts
through Chateau Gaillard's stony ruins

thrice more I returned to Gaul
an eager pilgrim into the past
through historic turns and twists
among art-filled caves and Roman ways
from Joan of Arc to Charles DeGaulle
seizing ancestral relations
with this antique homeland
where I know millennia ago
some Norman or Gallic others
must have begotten me.

Rock Sitting

Sitting rock
front row seat
on mossy path

rolled into place
hospitably
for pond viewing

crisp, brisk day
leaves rattling
few touches of color

cranberry leaf red
golden lily pads
in gray surround

inclusive vista
suspension of time
with no measure

elemental moment
languid and free
swimming with molecules.

Extinguished Path

Vanished imprint
trampled pine needles
along old woods way

leading to dreams
rich imaginings
for sure-footed young

cross-country walkers
adventurous skiers
nature explorers

seeking the magic
among ancient groves
of long-lived stillness

bearing witness
to changeable land
not succeeding itself

another forest lost
captured and boxed
as unholy houses.

On Grandbaby Duty

Sheer bliss to re-live tender time
snuggling in purest delight
without parental strings

cocooning in the present
outside quotidian life
in bendable world of play

pretending to be an elephant
a convenient climbing tree
whatever I am imagined to be

learning again clan language
smiling, touching, singing
fulsome with spontaneous hugs

round and round the mulberry bush
of regenerative experience
ontogeny recapitulates love.

Maple Leaf Moment

Tiny fingers
entwine the stem

crinkle
its golden crown

spring and fall
exchange greetings

then pass
the seasonal baton.

I'm Most Awake at Night

I’m most awake at night
in the darkest quiet

mind lively
skipping randomly around

scavenging ideas
outside daytime noise

pushing conscious edges
beyond banality

until sleep intervenes
mixing up real with dreams

my self and the universe
left unresolved once again.

Ballooning

Aerial escape
with Daedalus’s help

marionette freed
from earthly strings

slipped through a seam
to exotic party

invited to ride
expansive sky

unbounded beyond
to wondrous sights

perhaps I may return with wings
if I do Buddhist things.

Fall Foliage #3

Fiery contagion
generating only beauty
burned to crisps underneath

climax color at red-hot heat
sunlit to glowing pitch
rapturously radiant

yellows, gold succeed
leaping top to top
in total conflagration

the forest succumbs
ghostly, haunting presence
littered with bronze ashes.

Fall Foliage #4

Sunlight at a slant
streaming, streaming
through backlit leaves
resplendent in golds and reds

recasting the forest
in stained-glass frames
autumn illuminated
through intricate panes

tall, dark tree trunks
multiples of thin and thick
taming the brilliance
in vertical dimension

seasonal cathedral
consecrated woods
rendered sacred
by sublime light.

First Botany Lesson

Sitting in ticklish grass
nestled in backyard green
fingers, toes, tongue exploring

each blade a newfound treasure
scrutinized with Buddha looks
for truth-revealed meaning

fluttering leaves overhead
whispering sweet lullabies
pitched solely to an infant ear

indiscriminate fragrances
filtering through layered air
snared by his nose’s interest

all manner of sensations
extending an invitation
to feast at Earth’s botanical table.

At Daybreak

Pinkish shreds
like sugared wisps
spun by the sun
into billowy puffs

pastel fantasies
in stratospheric parade
bleached summarily
in the bright white of day.

Afternoon with an Artifice

Gazer beside a soccer field
one ordinary October day
lazily in wait for eager players

a monarch joins the absent crowd
colored trees rearrange their leaves
around this wide, green arena

ivy-covered towers stand beyond
where scholarship is exercised
in gentle, contemplative study

among books filled with horrific wars
artfully imagined stories
philosophical exegeses

suddenly a shadow overtakes
a hawk with struggling prey
flies home to eat its dinner.

Enfleurage

I never met a flower
that loves me not
blooming transients
eager for communion

colored visions
shimmering palettes
ones hued to many
to enchant me

scented languages
spoken elliptically
by silent tongues
to entice me

botanical magic
exquisitely wrought
by gods unknown
to shape my soul

humanness clarifies
among these blossoms
distilled into
a finer essence.

Crystal Ball

In my dreams
he leaves
repeatedly

disappears
beyond my reach
without farewell

in each
I charm the gods
to no avail

startled awake
I break
this crystal ball.

Aging

The outside
matches less and less the inside

time corrodes
but not the view from inside out

as Future reckons
I spectate through younger eyes

until mirrored
metamorphosed in others’ gazes.

Family Transference

She expertly ferries
overfilled camping gear

his younger, stronger hand
takes the canoe’s tiller

Beautiful and Handsome
two mythic paddlers

across their Odyssean seas
to compassion’s home

newly observant
in our Stygian shallows

watchfulness shifts
from us to Them.

Immortals in Our Midst

Sopranos and altos
in cricket chorus

perennial heralds
of Autumn’s eve

ancient messages
from Paleozoic mists

transmitting to
human receivers

undecoded
for one million years

Olympian wisdom
in these long-lived genes.

Modern Hubris

Venues
overflowing with
egocentricity

corner offices
bankers’ quarters

money temples
main streets and malls

political places
executive lairs

as Midas-like greed
narcissistic folly
race

to topple this US of A.

Time

Difficult to stop
like flowing water

ubiquitous as air
unable to grasp

malleable as clay
into memory chunks

mixture of fast and slow
in elastic mode

repeating frames
without hesitation

calibrated only
by living and dying.

Birds and Bees....and Flowers

Birds-and-bees story
riddle for literalists

plot insufficient
without siren blooms

snow-white magnolias
deep-throated lilies

explicit irises
widespread poppies

let-it-all-hang-out orchids
the list goes on

flying beasts the means
but, wow, the flowers!

Omnipotence

Re-routed stream
bright, sunny sky
scudding clouds
innocuous appearing

uprooted trunks
heaped-up gravel bars
freshly scarred hillside
revealing its story

piles of debris
from violence unseen
powerful Nature
re-writing the plot

left-behind trees
especially the evergreens
bowing and scraping
to the northwest wind god.

Cut Flowers

Bouquet of summer flowers
levitating
above the kitchen table

suspended by
brilliant energy
coursing through rainbow colors

prismatic sunlight
trapped inside
kaleidoscopic petals

dropping singly
without notice
at quickening mortal pace.

Tall Grass Music

Phragmites
with perfect pitch
of grasses swishing

green zithers
in concert with
bayside breezes

gently stroking
memory music
in summer rhythms

amplified
reprised across
band-stand marshes.

Husband

He with the magnificent face
worthy of Michelangelo’s chisel

prominent ridges and angles
with Mt. Rushmorean aspect

expressive, upswept brows
frame for cornflower blue eyes

strong Augustan nose
just slightly out of true

skin stretched crinkly taut
across his Norseman’s bony cheeks

gathered into thin, straight lips
thatched with thick mustache

finished by distinguished chin
topped with tousle of snow-white hair

collection of Homeric features
his a most unforgettable face.

Summer Bath

I bathe in
the sensations
of a summer afternoon

immersed in flying colors
familiar twittering tunes
floral exhalations

floating upon
scalloped waves
of intersecting butterflies

a hummingbird glinting
offers greetings
between sips of his sugary brew

flowers invite
a nose plunge
into purple–pink-orange-yellow blossoms

rampant greenery
exudes newly mown aromas
almost too rich for breathing

I splash air
with potted geraniums
beneath a robin’s benevolent gaze

waiting my turn
to rinse among lilies
with skin-drenching fragrance

finally I stand
rotate in receiving circle
dried by sun-scented breezes.

Human Essence

No more swimming with words on the surface
time to dive deeper into meaning
push aside distracting veils
find the golden fleece of essence
that of being human

why the extremes
of love, violence, greed, giving
to motivate existence
why do peacemakers always lose
in the end

passions trump intellect
progress reverts to self-serving
understanding goes astray
rich to richer to exploitation
without reallocation

chained to evolution’s program
vulnerable to nature’s control
hopeful particles on galactic debris
hurtling through infinitude
toward the Unknowable

yet gifted with few conscious moments
in this lottery of life
to discern fantastic landscapes
feel loved if lucky
without doing harm to others.

Above Bangor

Above Bangor the air refreshes
trees extend
releasing pungent vapors
of spruce and balsam fir

Katahdin shows itself
behind a bluish veil
reminder of rocky spine
running deep beneath

white daisies dance
decorate the roadsides
in mixed bouquets
with buttercups and purple vetch

above Bangor real Maine returns
unravaged by concrete
offering once again
a plush, green-carpet welcome.

Neighbor's Legacy

My nonagenarian neighbor
died one decade ago
leaving behind seventy years
of relishing this environ

each day I gaze in her behalf
at nature’s seasonal faces
familiar signs of time passing
in most beauteous parade

perhaps some current neighbor
beyond my earthly tenure
will gather these same views
in my remembered name, too.

Dinosaur Redux

One pterodactyl flew over
two T. Rexes roared by
three brontosauri grazed beyond

deep in hallucinatory sleep
dreaming tall, prehistoric tales
consorting with these fossil beasts

I quickly conceal myself
in luxuriant, marshy grass
eager not to be eaten

just as suddenly awakened
confidently reassured
of relative corporeal safety

transported back to familiar mazes
populated with houses and cars
except for neighborhood bog

mallards and geese swarming upon
gentle reservoir waters
watched over by one dinosauric heron.

Medical Allergy

Preferred avoidance
of medical venues
with advancing age

older specimen
viewed with parts
needing frequent repair

easy target
for this test and that
though asymptomatic

appointment queues
elongated waits
inexact results

more blood extracted
x-rays taken
biopsies sliced

finally released
from invisible cage
with wings still unclipped.

Morpheus's Seductions

Haunting the bedroom
setting soft, lush traps

seeking intimacy
with Venuses reclining

unconscious surrender
succumbing to his advances

suspended physicality
during nightly rendezvous

dreaming perfect union
within forgetful sleep

unremembered comfort
in Morpheus’s arms.

Plumped Up

Not necessary for raisins
although done

not for prunes
shrunk from plums

certainly corn kernels
sweeter to eat

tomatoes especially
stuffed with quintessence

definitely grapes
for Bacchanalian tastes

babies absolutely
made edibly delicious!

What I See in Early Morning Outside My Bedroom Window

Pillar of the sky
half gothic arch
giant beanstalk
white pine trunk

cosmos connector
gravity’s opposite
vertical adventure
grounded presence

golden-rose glow
streaming brilliance
darkening shadow
mundane gray-brown

time to get up and climb again
the illusivemythicwishfulreal tree of life.

Today's Gifts

Wrapped in lovely lavender
patch of wild geraniums

pots of dandelion gold
arranged in ragged rows

indiscriminate white bluets
scattered in mille-fleur style

promise of delicious fruits
hid in strawberry blooms

sweet, duet encounter
warbling with yellowthroat

surprise scarlet flashes
two redwings wheel beside

glittery black squirrel
dashing by from Wonderland

rich Christmas harvest
gifted one random May day.

Spring Break at Arnold Arboretum

Doubly, triply bosomed
syringa vulgaris

luscious, grapelike clusters
hanging pendulously down

magnets for easy grabbing
free caresses for the taking

soft, alluring cleavages
seductively perfumed

ready-to-fondle blooms
on their lilac mistresses.

Alice's Magic Shop

Overstuffed with magic potions
lustrous flasks, thick jars and pots
necessary for alterations

trays of abracadabra tools
hot wands, exotic clippers
for prestidigitative touch

strange contraptions against the walls
wired for white-rabbit treatments
in mad-hatted, séance sessions

in glittering cape the maestro reigns
with splendid sleight-of-hand panache
unmatched as hair-design magician

Alice’s patrons always the fairest
admiring of their Snow-White selves
in her miraculous mirror.

Leaf Birds

Familiar visitors
overstaying winter
hopping, skipping, flipping

always brown
field-marked with curly wingtips
flying with the wind

one warm spring day
all raked away
returning with the fall.

Apocalyptic Hint

No blood-curdling screams
mushrooming clouds
just quiet exits for bats and bees

no crustal shivers
raging atmospherics
yet sudden demise of bats and bees

without loud alarums
somber tolling of bells
only death-bed whispers from bats and bees

species silence
then dominos more
with exponential momentum.

Entrances and Exits

Morning and evensong
eternal refrains

eyes blinking open
receiving the sun
dim infinitude
closing some others

newborn miracles
swaddled in affection
memories shrouded
in forgetful dementia

tabulae rasae
Rorschaches of promise
scripts Shakespearean
fraught with sad farewells

momentous events
entrances and exits.

Our Cosmology

Slowly spinning invisibly in an incalculable void
riding on racing waves of hyperspace-time
through an infinity of reverberating silence

no above, below, sideways, surface, bottom, edge
without beginning, without end
continual creation within cosmic pandemonium

mini, micro, crypto, nano-bits are we
eternal molecules resurrecting again and again
in planetary matter, exploding stars, burgeoning universes.

Plenipotentiary Wren

Jaunty with upturned tail
costumed in warmest browns

facile ambassador
far beyond usual bounds

curiosity-driven
inveterate human watcher

negotiating daily
cross-species relationships

in woodlots, unplowed fields
cultivated habitats

easy camaraderie
with Carolina courtesy.

Winds of Change

Northeast
northeast
northwest
northeast

northeast
northwest
northwest
southeast

northwest
northwest
southeast
southeast

north
southwest
southwest
northeast

northeast
south
southwest
southwest

relentless
relentless
relentless
push of spring.

Transformational Moments

Waiting for a transformational poetic moment as

red-dot ladybug climbs up sheer, vertical pane
sun-burst bouquet of daffodils stuns the senses
bright, shiny blue day ushers in the equinox
tiny, crocus shoots stand against blustery winds
leafless trees hold unseen promises of green
honeybees tend to spring hive-cleaning chores
bluebirds stake nesting claim to vacant premises
spring peepers practice for their hallelujah chorus
full March-moon sheds its exotic light

now gathering up more transformational moments.

Philosophical Imperative

No religionist I
wrapped around
fantasy dogma

no existentialist
trapped in each day
lost in nothingness

no spiritualist
craving messages
from hoped-for beyond

a beholder though
savoring beauty
in nature’s offerings.

Tree-Trunk Buffet

Sap sucking
fly catching
wood pecking
tree creeping
nut hatching
above the bark

ant drilling
termite chewing
beetle boring
aphid sipping
fungus digesting
beneath the bark

picnicking niches
the Feast of St. Tree.

Crossing the Line

Accepting
the idea
crosses the line

rational talk
of torture
disturbs

even if
even if
it works

always
brutality
ensnares

dashing again
evolution’s hope
for love.

Winter Gothic

Scarlet streak
before the eyes
behind

left
right
peripheral glimpses

scoping
scanning
spotting

on nearby branch
garish
against the snow.

Requiem for the Future

Overwhelmed by
inchoate sadness

unfocused loss
deep down grieving

ululating cries
across oceans

demise of billions
begun in earnest

planet breached
beyond redemption.

Hula Class

Four small palm trees
awkwardly twisting
under her tutelage

fan-spread branches
dancing with the wind
to tropical rhythms

finely fingered fronds
embracing each breeze
before gently letting go

grande dame of motion
orchestrating sways
into endless alohas.

Tropical Dreamscape

Swimming through thick air
heavy-footed
in slow motion

palm sails overhead
sinuous masts
bleached bone-white

gritty mineral bits
river of sand
sliding sideways

pancake-flat sea
alternating ribbons
turquoise and blue

mesmeric pull
abstract peacefulness
to its never-ending edge

awakened
gasping for air
I hold a coconut.

In the Dark

Images develop
in black and white
and touch tones

white vanity top
banister handholds
staircase steps

welcome waiting
to downstairs hush
lush in its closeness

intimate hugs
with familiar shadows
sharing the dark

convening
friendly genies
appear for tea.

Kneading Time

I hold time with slightly stiffer hands
kneading Christmas cookie dough

resisting diminished returns
kneading Christmas cookie dough

I grasp measured-out days
kneading Christmas cookie dough

adding more family increments
kneading Christmas cookie dough

bequeathing to fifth link in kin
kneading Christmas cookie dough

I embrace immortality
kneading this Christmas cookie dough.

Visitation

Peering out the window
into pre-dawn darkness
draped in silent white
surprising, spectral presence
to my conjuring eyes

four-legged shadow emerges
in statuesque proportions
antlered silhouette at forest edge
striding lustily across the snow
as Zeus’s alter ego.

Dialectic or What's the Answer?

Why do humans
love, eat, drink
maim and torture one another
go to school, go to work
ravish forests, obliterate the buffalo
mow lawns, wash cars, grill steaks
use every drop of oil
play ball, swim, climb trees and mountains
pave and pollute the planet
paint houses and masterpieces
run from rampaging armies
fly to the moon
demolish, destroy, annihilate
explore the oceans
think up concentration camps and killing fields
study the tiniest thing
rob friends and neighbors
watch sunrises and sunsets
burn books, despise learning
stroll a sandy beach, sail the endless seas
bomb cathedrals and museums
fly a kite, sing a lullaby
overpopulate the earth
gaze into space
enslave others
want to know more and more
disdain nature’s ways
live peaceably
die violently?

Is selfish greed evolution’s only answer?

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.