Rubicon Crossed

The end of the Republic
its shining city extinguished

democratic-rich promises
smothered and unfinished

snuffed out by benighted mob
as founding fathers feared

dark forces unshackled
by cantankerous voters

hostile takeover by bullies
reversion to white male mean

Ms. Liberty's torch now doused
a beckoning beacon no more.

Another Hypatia

Flayed again
in the marketplace
for flaunting knowledge

repudiated
for female overreach
almost two millennia later

ascent denied
by same, fiendish misogyny
a never-ending, human plague.

"I Approve This Message"

Me, me, me at the center
of my hate-filled universe

giant among minions
of anti-empathetic class

only white folks matter
others merely for servitude

women in degraded status
simply for sex or decoration

cheers for greedy economics
much more not ever enough

throw out foolish compassion
solely for liberal stooges

bah humbug on book learning
useless in bullying brawls

rally round fellow gun nuts
with ammo at the ready

hello to shameless America
without justice and liberty for all.

Fall Foliage #18

Gilded pine trees
before relinquishment

outshined easily
by fall's full regalia

stately evergreens
momentarily not

golden-needle drop
lost in leafy display

quickly thatched
into brown, ground mat

unnoticed role
in Autumn's mythic show.

New Life Zone

Recent initiate
into everyday pain

whether upright or down
embraced by lower back ache

little relief from
alleviating drugs

repetitive stretches
or heating-pad plasters

eventual cure
most likely to happen

with patient doses
of therapeutic time.

Capacity Limits

Smart
analytical
but not brilliant

poet
insightful
but not mind-bender

thinker
synthesizer
but no quantum-leaper...

not permitted
to grasp any piece
of the infinite.

In Praise of Aspirin

It's David versus Goliath
in battle with pharmaceuticals

acetylsalicylic acid
nature's soothing analgesic

in chewable willow bark
brew of meadowsweet

ubiquitous, bargain pill
preferable to costly elites

relief from achy anything
with fever-fighting prowess

one-a-day defense
against heart attack and stroke

antidote for insomnia
even cancer prophylactic

efficacious for millenia
with anti-inflammatory magic

all-purpose healing remedy
prescribed by Dr. Hippocrates.

First Fall Offering

A golden branch
herald of change
amidst the verdant haze

seasonal start
in overwhelming greenscape
toward blazing color feast

most leafage in patient wait
not anxious to satiate
the hungry, autumnal gods.

Wren Friend

Familiar tweet
at dawn

insistent
in his welcome

long absent
from around

bit unkempt
upon return

yet song
at happy pitch

in gratitude
for reunion.

2016 Existential Election

Primal this battle
truly Manichean

fairy-tale telling
in fascistic mix

shared commitment
under siege

charitable values
out of fashion

loss of hope
for equal chances

divisive chorus
of anger, fear, and hate

lemming-like descent
into bleakest fate

unless Thoughtful Reason
vanquishes the campaign beasts.

Random Impressions of Genius

Van Gogh in green-lit room
living among bold, black lines
on dark, starry nights.

Sam Twain's scarcely disguised
humorous, satirical rage
unsettling to customary mores.

Fluent in metaphorical speech
Emily D. inventing peerless verse
waiting for Immortality.

Exquisitely inclusive
Lincoln knowing best how to lead
with humanistic resolve.

Eternally young femme fatale
Millay the classic Grecian nymph
romping with lyricism.

Explorer, artist, lamenter
of vanishing wilderness
birder Audubon superior.

Never daunted Elizabeth
primo of Peabody trio
reformer with transcendental zeal.

Emerson with his turgid prose
a guru of enlightenment
philosopher to humankind.

Epic oeuvre of imagined lives
dissected, penned-down truths
by abyss-gazing J. C. Oates.

Diva extraordinaire
with musical gifts beyond divine
Streisand, Streisand, Streisand!

Voltaire's Madame du Chatelet
pre-Einsteinian theorist
deducing light not matter.

Mythic sage Will Shakespeare
prolific weaver of words
unraveling the human heart.

Candide aka Voltaire
witty, iconoclastic
for civil rights and reason.

Societal, gender shackles
crux of Edith Wharton's works
au plus maxime in words and deeds.

Ego-trumped morality
in Tom Jefferson's world
himself above human rights.

William Maxwell the editor
empathetic, unsung author
in literary firmament.

Artistically-driven O'Keeffe
from New York to New Mexico
post-modern best with desert motifs.

Big chip on writing shoulder
Nobel-prize-winning Naipaul
still craving Olympian status.

Lillian 'Hellwoman'
complicated person
at war with her many selves.

With cleverness and conscience
Frances Perkins the architect
of FDR's domestic successes.

Visionary Frederick Olmstead
striver for human betterment
from army logistics to spacious parks.

Emerson's transcendental ally
unconventional Margaret Fuller
with more action-oriented intellect.

Intrepid, desert explorer
in pre-feminist world
Mideast-mapmaker Gertrude Bell.

No armchair, best-guessing scholar
globetrotting collector von Humboldt
catalyst for fact-finding, field science.

Never Nobelized Vera Rubin
discoverer of dark matter
cosmic riddle still to be unraveled.

Madam President Ought-To-Be

Ages-old load
of gender bias
she carries

always uphill
over stony fragments
with knife-sharp edges

she's been toughened
ready to serve
right for this moment

with relentless focus
against non-stop scoffers
she perseveres for all

time to unite
to dispatch her campaign
across the winning line.

Quiet II

I met Quiet again today
nestled in every cranny
of this boreal wilderness

a long-missing friend
swamped by modern static
of absent noiselessness

elusive portal
for privileged entry
into keener sensibility.

Extravagant Art

Stunning artistry
on colossal scale

explosion of colors
pastel some, vivid others

impressionist's dreams
on ephemeral canvas

every evening exhibit
with free-admission moments

newly unveiled masterpiece
compliments of the firmament.

Tree of Climb

Easier to find
climbable trees
among old live oaks
and grand magnolias

balance-beam limbs
extended far beyond
inviting a walk-up
in acrobatic style

ladder-like branches
simpler to scramble
beneath shaded green
of thick, shiny leaves

joyous enterprise
at increasing heights
seeking communion
with the kingdom of sky.

"These Gardens are Entrusted to the Courtesy of the Visitors" (engraved on stone at entrance to Brookgreen Gardens near Pawley's Island, SC)

No explicit forbidding
of touching
smelling
picking
walking
in the gardens

or rubbing
clambering up
nearby sculptures
or trying to climb
outstretched live oaks
draped in gray

no hostile prohibition
of picnicking
wine-drinking
jogging
hopscotching
on grassy premises

just polite entreaty
for shared stewardship.

Southern Ghosts

From roadside view
wisteria-enshrouded shack
barely standing witness
to a hard-scrabble past

        but rich
        in unspoiled places
        pieces of the sacred
        attached to the soul

        yet unharmonious
        among human denizens
        riven in opposing groups
        privileged white and second-class black

in silent reprise
flower-smothered ruin
haunting vestige of back-when
its beauty and its brutishness.

The Land of Must-Return

Winter reunion with enchanted land
of high-desert touchstones and totems

wrinkled, dusty-pink foothills, mesas
juniper-studded in cedar-green

mazes of gouged-out arroyos
dry except when deadly wet

ghostly clumps of cottonwoods
standing at faithful, river vigil

squat, adobe, earth-spawned houses
hid behind coyote fences

ravens squawking raucous welcome
golden eagles in soaring gear

never-ending plains in varied grays
of rabbitbrush, cholla, and sage

distant, purplish snow-capped peaks
cresting against an infinite blue

uncompromised, expansive beauty
with its siren song of peaceful calm.

Impolitic Citizenry

Reckless mischief
by lazy electorate

angry mad hatters
in campaign wonderland
readily seduced
by pied piping media

wishful thinkers
for fairy-tale kingdoms
far over the rainbow
with gold for worthy all

simple-answer seekers
easy prey for promise-makers
warily contemptuous
of orchidaceous others

such kamikaze voters
in a consequential election.

Love Order

Husband
child
grandchild

husband
daughter
son

son
grandson
granddaughter

daughter
grandson
granddaughter

love overrides
whatever the order.

Blue-Collar Bondage

Progress along
up to a point
but not beyond

herded within
ordained limits
to attainment

goaded to stay
inside tribal cage
not to fly away.

Local Drought

Multi-storied, tall
forest of many straws

powerful forces
sucking dry the soil

scattered raindrops
greedily imbibed

minuscule drizzle
efficiently siphoned

no hydration
ever wasted

miraculous sipping
for sky-scraping existence.

Simple Contentment

Appetite dispatched
cravings satisfied
with well-savored morsels

intriguing book
awaiting attention
with its splayed-out pages

a riddle poem
cavorting, pinballing
inside my own cosmos

everything else
rather complex
beyond simplest bliss.

Natural Cultivation

Serious weeding
in cohort garden
beginning

occasional
premature losses
concluded

merciless harvest
of post-flower lives
now in earnest

reaper's yield
reverberating
through the grapevine news.

Flannel Nest

Nestled round
head, body embedded

nothing exposed
except tip of nose

to Arctic cold
dispensed by windows

flannelized environs
duvet, sheet, and pillow

cocooned away
from a foul-weather world.

I've Discovered My True Englishness

From reading comprehensively
English mysteries, novels, plays
I discover myself in some portrayals

a reticence here, an empathy there
everywhere offers of warm-tea welcome
served with friendly, engaging banter

ever disposed to perform one's duty
dispatched agreeably without complaint
across complex, relational webs

earnestness multiplied to a fault
tempered by quiet introspection
amid affinity for flowery bowers

often complected as rosy-cheeked
sweet tooth quenched by chocolate treats
Dubonnet penchant shared with the Queen

I feel my quintessence in an English skin
churned out of old Anglo-Norman stock
alloyed with a southern-bred politesse.

Kingdom of Marriage

Kingdom of connections
fashioned broad and deep

inlaid for many years
with intricate minutiae

rooted substantially
in geography of place

populated expansively
by blended genealogies

appended pasts to futures
analogous and disparate

boundaries overrun
beyond original ones

compromise, affection
important compass points

for navigating jointly
this intimately lived-in terrain.

Lioness's Cub

Charmingly costumed
in shaggy cub disguise

intrepid adventurer
in quadrupedal phase

lion-hearted is she
steadfastness in action

mild roars on occasion
exulting in successes

ever exploratory
expanding her domain

confidently ready
for new, bipedal agenda.

Miss Grit

Smiling countenance
disarming, distracting

acting noiselessly
without malice

intentional mission
always her plan

empirical learner
with any attempt

not ever surprised
by piled-high obstacles

relentless attacker
until she masters.

Classical Drama

Chorus of greens
as prologue

eye-catching reds
in first act

yellow crescendo
for the second

resplendent display
at blazing climax

bronzed quickly
in the fourth

ghostly remains
at denouement.

Fall Foliage #16

Slowly, coldly the fire consumes
the solitary evergreen

flames licking from below
with advance of each fall day

smoldering to inferno
expanding its surround

finally all burns away
except the resurrected tree.

Fall Foliage #17

Why so much beauty
given free by nature
whether seen or not

only humans need
to mythologize
this color explosion

sight unmolested
sanctifies, purifies
with incorruptible glory.

Moose Attack

Archetypical poster
serene north woods scene
moose in lake shallows
munching lush, green grasses
against forested tableau

close by at one side
kayaker in red
idling on placid surface
with watchful pleasure
in unsuspecting pose

suddenly the moose
explodes into 3-D action
loping across tall reeds
in pursuit of sweetheart prey
dressed in seductive red

damsel in much distress
swiftly paddles away
to safer, deeper depth
except he swims with ease
closing the distance between

she shifts into frantic gear
skimming across the lake
with steel-trapped, paddling grip
thus rebuffed, the lovesick moose
gives up his quixotic suit

one by one, she uncurls
her oar-locked finger joints
surprise and fear subsiding
she waves to distant mate
he still filming this epic chase.

Shiny Old

No need for shiny new
to decorate my self-esteem

or biggest and best
for much vaunted hipness

snazzy electronics
only for functionality

upgrading mania
quite against my nature

instead I cherish
long-lasting possessions

with patina well-burnished
reflecting perennial attachment.

Magical Thinking

Ensconced on
blooming stage midst rampant gardens

surrounded by
summer's reliable bounty

no regard for
hastening through the greening hours

inattentive to
the season's gradual decay

aloof from
inevitable transitions

presumptive with
today always and still today.

Halcyon Days: Childhood

Freest in my life
imagination reigned

unfettered by adults
or gender inhibitions

endless summer hours
arcing dawn to dusk

tall trees to climb
baseballs to catch

trusty bikes to ride

ever ready to pursue

adventures unknown
beyond any rainbow

independent explorers
rulers of our play-world.

Yet-To-Be: Seventies

Already a few glimpses
of lived-in elderly status

body not always dependable
mind missing occasional beats

entry into new adventureland
bit less certain on this terrain

frequent deep dives into memory
through clarifying hindsight

mislaid fragments from the past
fitted now into instructive place

focused gladly on just this day
not wishing for a crystal ball

collecting ordinary moments
in bouquets of sweet gratitude.

Swimming in Summer

Swimming in a sea of greenery
submerged in luxuriant summer

in every tint and shade
of Verdant's possible palette

thick, leafy drapery
lush, lawn grasses
soft-needled branches
swishy cornstalks
groves of lacy fern fronds
forest stands, mossy patches
shrubby hedges
fields of not-yet hay

drifting, drifting among stems and leaves
immersed everywhere all in green

winter's frozen, bleached-out vistas
long forgotten in this fecund moment.

Art Trademarks

When I gaze upon a pond
I see with Monet's eyes
its spread of pink, white, yellow, green

and talismanic landmark
in New Mexican desert
ever O'Keeffe's high altar

and mobbed portraits
peopled by Brueghel
now in any crowded space

Monet's water lilies
O'Keeffe's pedernal
Brueghel's teeming masses

requisitioned for Art
once in their thrall
always biased sightings.

Early Morning Communion

Early morning chirper
serenading the dawn

first-light glimmers
outside her window bounds

listener for friendly sounds
creaking floor, opening door

eager for arrival
of anticipated faces

a sacramental moment
celebrating her existence.

Back in the Swing

Another boy soaring tall
with sky-high dreams in tow

swinging towards pine tree tops
anxious to sail beyond

back and forth from here to there
oscillating in wider swaths

chasing his Jonah-cousin's ghost
flown away to the Pacific coast

east coast kin now proxy presence
exorcising the former's absence.

Demographic Trap

Open-wallet season
for easy pickings
from ambushed seniors

everyday harassment
by phone and mail
from charities or scams

alms for needy this
alms for disaster that
in scripted appeals

unsolicited gifts
of worldwide cruises
at no-cost rip-offs

medical devices
slyly hawked
with giveaway groceries

low mortgage rates
free credit cards
within swindled reach

fraudulent callers
with full-fleecing intent
disturbers of our peace.

North Woods En Plein Air

Piled-up cumuli
in scudding rows
above undulating hills

May's leafless limbs
basking languorously
in season's early warmth

skeletal scaffolding
bleakly beautiful
with sterile white trunks

sporadic color
in red maple blossoms
and guaranteed evergreens

all ready in waiting
optimistic again
for Spring's transcendent return.

Big Eyes

What do they see
her big, bright eyes
with increasing focus

mixed visions
of static shapes
moving images

color-splashed spots
familiar faces
snuggling places

unblinking stare
seeking identity
with charmed relations

mirroring smiles
while sharing
unabashed happiness.

Feeding Frenzy

Feathered hubbub
at winter feeders

no patient waiters
for landing clearance

in killing cold
midst gusty snows

just greedy eaters
at frantic pace

compulsive gluttons
in epic struggle

as wolfish hawk
patrols the premises.

Kitchen Sculpture

Towering heap
at critical repose

disparate elements
metal, porcelain, glass

lustrous surfaces
sterling to stainless

splash of bright red
in asymmetric stack

cubistic design
by dishwasher's hand

ephemeral creation
in occasional-art space.

Rewinding Again

Re-start of time
baby-scented
nestled in the present

just a featherweight
unfocused future
all potential

cradled, cuddled
sixth in my arms
two ours, four theirs

synchronized heartbeats
across generations
locked-in attachment

with Eliza, Ned,
Jonah, Lucy, Max,
and now with sweet Sylvie.

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.

Memory Tree

Enchanted icon
recapturing the magic
of a long-ago fantasy

brightly festooned
in tangible measures of time
masquerading as colorful baubles

     old world St. Nicholas
     antique, red glass balls
     petit point heirlooms

     cross-stitched holiday designs
     a Tiffany silver snowflake
     Polar Express souvenir bells

     miniature Fenway Park
     kid-crafted ornaments
     gilded sweetgum balls

     Pawley's Island sand dollar
     Panamanian mola
     Alpine edelweiss

     re-tied, red yarn bows
     crystal reindeer mobile
     Sidney's memorial bell

each a treasure
with particular intent
composing a lovely story

cherished connections
to this seven-decade life
still giving comfort and joy.

Self-Portrait at Almost Seventy

A certain tipping point
at Life's summit
looking back clearly
with unveiled eyes
and looking to proceed
into the shadowy abyss

crossover point
questing done
every rainbow chased
cashing in now
all my favorite pots of gold
for stacks of well-savored moments

inflection point
older to elder
slowing ever so slightly
to more observant pace
exultant in the familiar present
blinded still to insidious Time.

Motion Machine

Perpetual
constant
on the move

up
down
in-between

crawling
walking
in discovery gait

reaching in
pulling over
exploring every

many Everests
undaunted
master of his world.

What I Hear

On this autumn morning
Canada geese squawk
in advancing formation

neighborhood birds
perhaps wren and nuthatch
exchange conversation

single red squirrel
dominates
with clucking chatter

commuter traffic
lumbering school bus
announce mechanical noise

quiet intersperses
quite harmoniously
if carefully listened for.

Fall Foliage #13

Prayer flags unfurled
in flutter abundance
across color-rich hillsides

strung along flimsy limbs
of maple, birch and aspen
streaming cheerily in the wind

extending invitation
with magnetic attraction
for autumnal communion

restorative moments
for filling up the soul
with necessary nourishment.

Fall Foliage #14

Post-peak foliage in falling mode
stirred up in colorful flurries

unsettled in swirling heaps
drifting into carpet layers

romp-ready for kicking feet
fall's relics crunched beneath

last salute to season's drama
curtain descends until green again.

Dancing Duo

Yellow leaves all a-quiver
shimmying tremulously
within gentlest zephyr

twisting, spinning
right then eager left
catching sunlit glints

trembling aspen
like its quaking namesake
sashaying with the wind.

Smiley Face

A ten-thousand-watt smile
with crinkly eye appeal
seizes surrounding affections

a gobbling-up grin
chews and munches hearts
into more adoring pieces

a gleeful giggle-machine
incites contagion
of spontaneous joy

his merry-go-round
sweetly flings out
hugs and big, wet kisses

a happy face embraces
gilding for golden instant
our quotidian stage.

Comfort Rocks

The rocks beckon
with meditative comfort
beside the abiding sea

too large for prayer beads
solace nonetheless
within their rounded heft

soothed by solidity
I feel free to exercise
my cosmic affiliation

anchored to land
roaming the ocean vista
embraced by all-inclusive sky

philosophy falls away
no explanations needed
to understand existence.

Grand Central Station

Densely packed, dark specks seething
in several directions
among an occasional red
that stops the moment
then switches on again
and the hordes horde
the throngs throng
in the manner of Brownian motion.

Museum Passage

Ethereal this
imagined that

garish trees
dark, blocky rocks

flat-faced portraits
from shared gene pool

banal tools
arranged, labeled
lying impotent
without hands and feet

too many ships
in tarnished light
plying the waters
of languid seas

canvas overstuffed
with lobster traps
ensnares as one falls
promptly off the stack.

Fall Foliage #12

Bored with summer-green fashions
Mother Nature's ready
for sassy, new fall apparel

darker shades bleached first
for comely, chartreuse look

dabs of bold, brash scarlet
added on for random charm

tie-dyed, rainbow spirals
flung across her forest-dress

complemented soon after
with rich batiks of somber bronze

now Mother Nature's wearied
of changing and adjusting
her lush, autumnal ensemble.

Trial by Conscience

I   Indictment

Wrestling with family histories
exhumed in genealogical digs

darker plots found entangled
within slavery's iniquitous web

muted now are heroic imaginings
of long-ago ancestor stories

escapees from brutish poverty
in perilous, ship-tossed transits

come to hack out autonomous lives
at edges of Edenic wilderness

obsessed to own new-world land
free from British feudal bondage

clans patrilineal and matrilineal
settled on unclaimed tracts

in South Carolina's piedmont
and on North Carolina's coastal plain

there seventeen family households
traded their souls for immoral gain

reaping cash from tobacco and cotton
with labor of African-American slaves

starkly tallied in national censuses
from 1790 to emancipation

catalogued as well in estate accounts
and wills as only first-name chattel.

II  Mea Culpa

Now I know...now I know
this inhumanity taints my blood

I must and will bear witness
against this past abomination

I acknowledge, regret, abhor
all hurtful, humiliating acts

wrought with despotic white-power
by my slave-owning forebears

as their present voice and conscience
I offer too-long-withheld remorse

and posthumous apologies to Sissyfus,
Mosley, Berry, Wade, Reuben, Hannack,

Rebecca, Sara, Long Jack, Short Jack,
Cindia, Mattie, Haywood, Lucy, Annie,

Sukey, Dinah, Caster, Rouse, Gatsey,
Dick, Sohee, Old Titch, Jimmy, Rose,

Judah, Moses, Winne, Esther, Cato,
Abraham, Peter, Sarah, Lyd, Phil, Boe,

Nelius, Sam, Clary, Beck, China, Ben,
Patience, Dave, Fanney, Bob, Hannah,

Punch, Amos, Jacob, Little China, Tom,
Poll, Washington, Daniel, Nelly, Rachel,

York, Avey, Noel, Lewis, Dave, Elveda,
and all the unknown, unnamed others.

III  Verdict 

Be it affirmed and declared again
in the name of all Humanity

here to far-distant, global places
for now into the enduring future

all people of any gender and color
are of necessity created Equal

endowed with certain unalienable,
secure, unequivocal, categorical,

protected, defended, inviolable,
absolute, immutable, sacrosanct,

self-evident Rights of Life, Liberty,
and the protean Pursuit of Happiness.

Lost in Poetry Dystopia

Who will memorize postmodern poetry
essayed lines without rhyme or rhythm

chock-full of hanging metaphors
blended into stranger fantasies

problematical to understand
alienated from this reader's grasp

hallucinatory glimpses of something
extraneous to everyday mazes...

where are the dictated paths not taken
endless fields of golden daffodils

grieving lilacs beside the dooryard
narrow fellows in tall, wayward grasses

candles burning swiftly from both ends
love's labors lost in liquefied clothes

feathered things in wordless choruses
darkling plains and ravens everywhere...

why more and more rhapsodic verses
swapped for Jabberwockian leaps

distorted by uber-cubist visions
crammed with kaleidoscopic shards

of fractured contexts, oblique precedents
and densely elliptical idioms

all pounded, pressed, precipitated
into exquisite morass of tangled language.

River Clock

River clock
tick-tocking by

floating debris
in fixed motion

downy feathers
flower petals
fallen leaves
fractured ice
life-seeking seeds

flowing onward
watched or not

to next hour
season and cycle.

Celestial Sensation

Waiting, waiting
for promised signal
from celestial heights

gazing, gazing
with eager scan
for glow-in-the-dark display

hoping, hoping
for cosmic surprise
in black, star-ridden sky

waiting, waiting
gazing upward
anticipating...

...a moment flares
in splendid silence
across Pegasus' Great Square.

Mid-August Blush

To the penetrating eye
of this wilderness aesthete

I see a dark-green canvas primed
on the opposite mountainside

ripening well in mid-August
under late summer's cooling sun

ready for autumnal washes
to paint its color-changing phases

now just slightest, pastel hint
of suggestive, pinkish tinge

a faint glaze over textured treetops
soon to show off Fall's rampant palette.

Connectedness

The throaty trill
of the loon
haunts, thrills
with its wild aloneness
summoning my soul
to ponder unremembered moments

echoed now
in toddler's gleeful trill
discovering his new world
of alluring prospects
with ear still tuned
to unknown, sung-before songs.

A La Carte

Not yet toothy
but hunger bites

food attracts
beyond the breast

menu expands
with bits and pieces

mashed banana
bland rice wafers

creamy egg salad
peanut butter dabs

satisfying treats
for eager palette

gnawable corn cobs
watermelon pops

and pièce de résistance

sweet-buttered, tongue-sticky grits!

Where, O Where?

Turned away from video visit
determined not to see
Mémé and Pep leave again

too many good-byes

final or otherwise
for his five-year-old heart

his dog-pal died
then much-loved Baba
harsh blows to a little boy's soul

where have they gone
will I ever see them again
why not...why not?

Paternal Bond

My father's long dead
nearly forty-five years

his kind nature
embraces still

a tactile connection
remains in hand

genetic perhaps
our common habit

rolling up waste papers
into throwaway balls

with each repetition
my childhood smiles back at me.

Sweetest Little Thang

Smorgasbord of goodies
embedded in
those scrumptious cheeks
munchable cream puffs
tasty from ear to ear
in lip-smacking smooches

gimme some, gimme some
spoonfuls of Max's sugah

his teeth-aching sweetness
in southern accents
of Krispy Kremes
pecan pralines
Mississippi mud pie
peach upside-down cake

gimme some, gimme some
pounds of Max's sugah

honey-coated
roly-poly limbs
fingers and toes
as candied delights
all amply supplied
at this ambrosial feast

gimme some, gimme some
heaps and heaps of Max's sugah.

Extreme Change Agents

Hypocritical arrogance
or arrogant hypocrisy
labeling others
invasive species

opportunistic us
plundering hordes
greedy reapers
commoditizing the planet

entitled possessors
ravishing Nature's beauties
wreakers of habitat chaos
for ultra-extravagant comforts

no predatory defenses
against homo sapiens' blitz
except, perhaps, quite likely
our own self-destructive selves.

Diminution

Against my degenerative time
I have mined
substantial, creative nuggets

perfect, precious, rounded
honed in mind
with mystical empiricism

next came sparkling flakes
of luminous kind
artfully sieved for revelations

winnowing now for smaller, shiny pieces
sorted into lines
gently lapping at thinking's edge

soon just bits of golden dust
left behind
within my muse's grasping reach.

How to Explain Death

Shedding of used-up husk
for fresher skin and feathers
of flower blooms, butterflies
or soaring eagle
touching the sky

welcomed chance
to know abundant life
as death generously
resurrects us
in different disguises

its overwhelming stillness
whispers to those
abruptly left behind
of memory-lives
that will never end to them.

How to Explain Life

Is it...

a failed magic trick
or glorious one

sensory playground
or shadowy fiction

mix of emotions
throttled by instinct

biochemical experiment
running its course

or blank slate of probabilities
with luck-of-the-draw winners?

I breathe
I eat and drink
I see, hear, feel, smell, taste
I lust
I love
I laugh and cry
I play and work
I reap and sow
I think
I imagine
I read and compose
I celebrate with others
I glory in nature
I soar and fall
I retreat
I sleep
I dream
I die and, perhaps, dream again.

Is it...

the universe's gift
or a cosmic joke

a straight line to nothingness
or regenerating spiral

a single imperative
for creative expression

blinded consciousness
craving comprehension

or exhilarating merry-go-round
spinning faster to oblivion?

Music Appreciation Class

First woodpeckers percuss
loudly across the bog

redwings screak and call
in back-and-forth rhythms

subtle peeper chorus
chants sweetly at hearing's edge

solo mallard flies over
quacking in syncopated time

sundry songbirds enter
at high and medium pitch

robins chirp warm-up notes
not yet in operatic timbre

alto-assertive wood frogs
insist with charming dissonance

bass croaks from bullfrogs missing
too early in the concert season

parent geese in squawking section
hurry me past their marshy nests

I pause again along the bogside
to sort out these euphonious sounds.

Flower Song

Wordsworth's daffodils
sang for me today
in lilting color

ten thousand strong
bright, sunny faces
in hillside chorale

mixed harmonies
in yellow, orange, and white
of gentle sublimity

soundless cantata
carefully composed
for blooming crescendo.

Southwest Palette

Pink and blue moments
encountered everywhere

shades of Picasso
certainly of O'Keeffe

rosy rocks, soil, adobe
bloom in random unity

startling azure flashes
streak past high-desert scrub

steep, pastel canyon walls
cavort with sapphire patches

freshly washed arroyos
pale-colored, sculpted cliffs

embrace joyously
amidst this cerulean feast

beauty everlasting glimpsed
while waiting with the ravens.

Southern Comfort

Genuine niceness
learned and practiced
as gentleness
mixed with kindness
extended to me
anonymous white person
by several black hostesses
at different kiosks
in the Atlanta airport
during a stopover stay.

These solicitous gifts
stirred deeply felt memories
of my South Carolina childhood
when I was cared for
by Florrie, Rosa, and Verda
and of sweet Jessie
who cooked next door
and sent me home
at end of long play-days
with three, still-warm-from-the-oven biscuits
small, buttered, perfectly flaked
wrapped carefully in a paper napkin
that I greedily devoured
before arriving at my back door
fifty feet away.

I am divorced
in various ways
from my native south
and when I visit now
mostly for funerals
I cherish conversations
joyous and accepting
with random, black strangers
refreshing my heart's connections
to long-ago, soul-forming comfort.

Max's Tomorrowland

Ten days of grandmother heaven
as newborn Max's late-night date

cocooned together on cozy sofas
conjuring up tall-tale adventures

jumping off MacDonald rocks
skiing Tahoe's powdery slopes

hiking Hadrian's serpentine wall
meditating at the Taj Mahal

ballooning over the Serengeti
paragliding among Alpine peaks

exploring Antarctica's icy pole

climbing the highest Himalayas

watching sunrise at Macchu Picchu
and sunset from Haleakala's crest

soon Max must begin his heroic quest
backpack stuffed with kin's affection.


 

Occasional Fantasy

I want to smash
all smart phones
whatever their brand

I want to stop
the beeping, playing
of Pachelbel's Canon

I want to snatch back
possessed attentions
from Digital's siren songs

I want to see
human eyes again
unglued from machines.

Afternoon Concert at Symphony Hall

Attendees in waiting
capture my watchful gaze

carefully turned-out ladies
coiffed with silver-haired curls

elegant ones sit mixed
among animated others

I survey the usual crowd
certain that I will glimpse

one of my mother's friends
surely Claudia or Dootsie

none return my searching smile
instead regard me not at all

daunted in spirit, I realize
I'm just another of their number

pretty nearly three score and ten
I do not yet accept my aging

quickly I depart this lounge
with springier step in my gait.

Keening for Sandy Hook's Innocents

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Lost in a Crowd

Between quiet and crowds
I prefer stillness
in all its aspects of calm

outside of jostling noise

I seek stillness
embellished with beauty
far removed from ugly inputs

sanctioned for heedless needs

beauty sustains me
in its scant locations
shrunken by human intrusions

to satisfy its ravenous maw

found yet again
beside whispering water
in some enchanted landscape

safe from the planet-trashers.

Death of a Family

Divorce kills
bludgeons
obliterates

familial bonds
ripped asunder
in sudden mayhem

jagged pieces
remain, scattered
among the ruins

love leaves
entropy succeeds
trust in tatters

disparate kin
scarred, wounded
in helpless witness

no formal ritual
food or flowers
for customary comfort.

Back to the Past

Losing just a bit
of advancing stride
in this race with life

need for shifting gears
back into reverse
to slow momentum

eager to set off
in time machine
to repossess the past

alluring vision
of youthful terrain
at high school class reunion

nametags matched
to unfamiliar faces
sculpted by aging

yet fifty years
quickly vanish
in those beholders' gaze.

Flying into Night

Azure, gold, fiery orange
layered like sand art
brilliantly lit
on my west

on my east
impending peaks
shaded in grays
and charcoal black

alternating glimpses
as double visions
soon to disappear
behind the nocturnal curtain.

Career Change

I wish to apply
for flying status
in my hereafter life

ready then
for sky-high adventures
in the third dimension

not as cosmic
or vaporous explorer
with eternal tenure

but sturdier
of broad-wingéd sort
preferably as an eagle

surveying landscapes
from superior perches
riding tall-mountain thermals

if this impossible
any unfilled, wren-or-finch slot
certainly acceptable.

 

Seasonal Prequel

A blooming bouquet of color
neon splashes
gold, pick-your-own orange, glowing red

brilliant zinnias
last stems standing
beyond summer's growing bounds

connecting the seasons
as premonitory avatars
of Fall's flamboyant blossoms.

The Circus Came to Town

The big-top tent up and waiting
unconventional circus in town

no lions, tigers, elephants
trapeze artists or juggling clowns

just rambunctious boy and girl
leading a make-believe parade

on the stage from dawn to dusk
performing with three-ring aplomb

running, jumping, swinging tall
batting balls across nightfall

apple-picking, rock-hopping
under autumn's sunshiny sky

climbing an ice cream mountain
final act of this spectacular show

the tent's folded once again, stored away
until next rendition of their gleeful play.

Personal Multiverse

They touch
but do not articulate...
my two universes

tangential
with convenient portal
between these independent spaces

one world
anchored in daily prospects
of comfortable ordinariness

the other
soaring and unbounded
levitating me on creative bliss.

Saturday Ballet at Market Basket

Swarming with the morning troupe
near the eggs-and-butter cooler

magnetized next to deli counter
pirouetting between with practiced ease

bending delicately over slabs of meat
stretching gracefully for cereal mixes

waltzing toward frozen-food cases
dodging some out-of-rhythm plodders

on point for paper towel choices
bowing low before detergent soaps

threading intricate, crowded spaces
among displays of fruits and produce

swanning discretely into pastry section
twirling round and round stacks of treats

queuing up at last in chorus line of carts
eager to hear the cashier's ringing applause.

Coltsfoot

Dusty colt's feet
traipsing along
in slowest motion

leafy hoof prints
pounding soundlessly
on roadside tracks

cheerfully lugging
summer's fun
on its hospitable back.

Fall Foliage #11

One redhead
among all the green others
grabbing fall's early attention

otherwise nondescript
scraggly with unbuxom foliage
small beside tall, statuesque types

one winning moment though
seized in August's preliminaries
before autumn's official beauty contest.

Garden Warfare

Darting dive bombers
on the offensive

whizzing rockets
among flower heads

helicoptering
with tail displays

ambushes fierce
in aerial attacks

daily combatants
near hummingbird feeders.

Mr. and Mrs. Soprano

They
uneasy seatmates
on the island ferry

she
commoditized
with fancy dress and jewels

he
over preening
in Wall Street pinstripes

she
seething
with obvious disgust

he
careful
under public gaze

gambling losses
new mistress
another murder?

they
inching together
ever so slightly

compromises remembered
tangled web intact
as they disembark.

Subliminal Messages (detected while camping beside Glazier Lake in northwestern New Brunswick)

The beaver whacks the water
loons call across the lake
a shooting star lights up the sky

the beaver thwacks a welcome
loons send their eerie greetings
a shooting star flashes its cosmic hello

the beaver slaps loudly and rudely
loons communicate the same
a shooting star weeps luminous tears

the kingfisher is shrieking, too
a spectral great blue flies by
I understand.

Airfall

Invisible flow
down the back mountain

gravity-fed
after sunset

gaining momentum
with soundless force

spilling through the window
pooling on cabin floor

splashing my face
with air-cooled essences

as I lie at edge
of sleep's deeper abyss.

Beach Front

Contented
side by side
in rocking rhythm

courtesy of
southwest breezes
blowing houseward

proxy presences
in porch waiting
for corporeality.

Loon Night

Bright as day
within black night

many wakeful
as others sleep

the spotlight rises
on flattened shadows

quiet resounds
across the lake

point, counterpoint
sung in unison

loons frolic
while owls abide.

Atmospheric Beasts

Dinosaurs once again
storm across the continent

thunderous rumbles
herald their coming

loosing death and destruction
in their atmospheric wake

stalking prairie lands
even suburban boroughs

sweeping aside all impediments
with random, spiked-tail swipes

offering no quarter
to resisters in their path

nothing available
to slay these sky-high beasts.

Modern Dilemma

How to resist, switch off
anesthetizing media
addictive electronic fixes

instead to nourish muscles
to observe, to think, to imagine
to exercise life vigorously.

Non Sequitur

Active aversion
to accumulating stuff
except for tilting towers of books

addicted craving
for crafted pages
of twisting plots and provocative thought

with endless permutations
for words and syllables
to praise, to chastise Homo sapiens

not always wise
not always humane
but occasionally divine.

Exercise Class

No aerobics
in my exercise niche

huffing and puffing
exempt from regimen

printed words exhort
thinking muscles

for literary
to authorial stretches

to achieve

new generative state.

Sunset Serenade

Not at the Met
La Scala
or Santa Fe
my soprano

her vibrato
bel canto
bravissima
in simple arias

enchanting
as Pan's piped tunes

harmonized

among hermit others

in concert with

sunset's brilliant encore

casting a spell

over her north woods venue.

Relativity

Anticipation
with memory
makes a moment

either future
or past
the present never is

punctuation
to a string of days
accumulating

collected
memorialized
as butterfly fragments.

Concert by the Sea

Performance under glass
unified vision beyond

rocks, sea, sky converge
to vanishing point

all matter resplendent
in sensory apparel

stage-lit by sunset
with advancing colors

swooping, white wings
in syncopated dance

harmonizing brilliantly
with bravissimo sounds.

Virtuosic Lover

Magnificent curves
resonant hollows
in lovely waiting

softly rounded mounds
explicitly exposed
inviting caresses

tenderest touch
sweetly pitched response
of devoted practiceship

fingers and sinews
working as one
for rhapsodic intimacy.

Execution Day

Today the trees

came tumbling down

one by one

by one by many

sky-high spires

summarily severed

shorn remains

stacked, tumbreled away

'the forest is dead

long live the forest.'

Feast of Lives

We only live
one life, maybe two
during our days

unless we read
then I have had at least
ten thousand more

myriad selves
through the ages
in global places

in many guises
troublemakers, heroes
from all sides of the tracks

empresses
artists
politicos

fortune-hunters
space explorers
clowns

cats and dogs
flying horses
even Loraxes

the list goes on
and on and on and on
in magnificent panoply.

On Entering Fenway Park for the First Time

Explosion of green

incandescent welcome

stepping across

this mythic threshold

hallelujah sounds

haloed sights surround

transcendent zone

for strike-it-rich moment

finding Fenway

at the end of the rainbow.

Renaissance Portraits at the Met

A death mask stuns

among gorgeous youths

older, bald Lorenzo

with pugnacious face

hung beside

his scholarly profile

in tiny portrait

sketched by friend Da Vinci

final cast more real in repose

against il Magnifico's ideal

suggestive perhaps

of a mafiaesque man of letters.

Conjugal Dialogue

She: What brought us to this moment?

He: Our tested and untested love.

She: What is the purpose of this challenge?

He: To build a better We than you or me.

She: How do we pursue this quest?

He: To investigate love together.

She: What is love? What is love not?

He: Love is complex with intricate strings attached.

She: Love is subject to the heart's control.

He: Love can be a hollow dream if only pursuit of perfect bliss.

She: Love can be an illusion composed of hope and false assumptions.

He: Love can be a chameleon with many emotional disguises.

She: Love may not be equal in all times of relationship.

He: Love needs giving with more giving to endure.

She: Love may not always have the answer.

He: Love may not be the alpha and omega of humanness.

We: Kindness is better...unambiguous.

Each Day

The curtain

rises on another day

reminding me

of fortuitous existence

in the midst

of satisfying spaces

with

pinkish sky

waking woods

mist-covered field

cheerful birdsong

inside warmth

smell of coffee

a sweet on the tongue

familiar fabric

of sensory connections

re-woven

through evolving years

wrapping me

in its daily welcome.

Almost a Fossil

Slithered into narrow niche

beneath limestone overhang

only refuge from thunderous storm

along exposed, Swiss hiking slope

grateful for protective shelter

against nature's raging moment

until I solemnly contemplate

unsupported bulk above

primed to crush me into a fossil

hid for multi-millennial time

yet quite a fitting, final imprint

for this rock-enamored scholar.

Cave Art

Once upon a time

tens of thousands of years ago

magnificent panels of art

filled mostly with hunted animals

bears, lions, spotted horses

artist-signed with red handprints

appeared deep underground

in France and Spain

who, what, when, how and why

now haunt these ancient galleries.

Human History

Many crushed in pendulum strokes

in wrong-way sweeps

fluctuating extremes

from enlightenment to fear

luckiest others in the ascent

before change begins again

greater swings on occasion

pushing the future more forward.

Natural Archaeology I and II

Elegant fragments

in every size

I never see a rock

I do not want to pick up

and examine

puzzle pieces

of a vast expanse

I came late

to this relationship

as sand-drenched native

millions, billions

in far-flung middens

once introduced

these magnetic treasures

captured my soul

ready to reveal

encrypted secrets

now true aficionado

connoisseur, collector

ever seeking stories

of the planet's

long-ago passions

in nature's

casually tossed aside

revelatory shards.

Sunset at Haleakala

Memory treasure deeply buried
crystallized as awe-struck moment

glorious sparkles at low-angle light

ground-scattered off augite facets

statuesque, silversword columns
solitary, once-blooming sentries

leading to the amen spectacle

at Haleakala's crater's edge

psychedelic vista above the clouds

studded with neon-colored cones

eternity in theatrical relief

stands audaciously revealed.

Swiss Intermezzo

I heard ten thousand flies buzz

in blooming Alpine meadow

inflorescences small and broad

smothered under hordes of black

raising their hobnobbing chorus

in summerfest celebration

not interested in me

relaxing in mid-hike

sprawled in this noisy midst

of unrestrained rejoicing

still humming that moment in my head

several decades later.

Ubiquitous Fences

Barbed strands

as far as vision stretches

across plains

deserts, badlands

companions

for the highway

shouting out

to all passers-by

'no trespassing

on my wide open spaces.'

Lucky Duck

Paddle

dabble

dive below

fly above

sunny and

rainy play

solitary

or social

no awareness

of disaster

would I trade

for a duck's life?

Walking Hadrian's Wall

Come follow me

along this sinuous trail

across dramatic hillscape

unfettered views

to unclaimed Barbaria

beyond Britannia

watch with me

upon the emperor's wall

for invading spirits

join me and listen

to Roman voices

in these heaped-up stones

grousing about

history's wild guesses

of frontier life-in-exile.

Classification of Pain

Toothache pain

trapped

in pounding surf

hip pain

stabbed

with many knives

childbirth pain

caught

in a whirlwind

migraine pain

encased

in Medusa's head

grieving pain

alienated

from Eden.

Siren Songs of Hope

Down the hill

convergent values

round the bend

common resources

in the valley

shared sacrifice

under the bridge

attenuated suffering

flowing river

absence of fear

toward the ocean

enduring love

into blue sky

universal empathy

back into clouds

without prejudice

poised as rain

post-political epoch

gentle drizzle

with forgiveness

morning dew

peace on earth

talismanic rainbow

good will among all.

Dreams of Flying

I envy birds their freedom to fly
at home in atmospheric spaces

tangential species instead am I
leashed to land and nearby air

until last night when I took flight
still secure in remembered sleep

a cage door opened to release
my dream-self wheeling freely

soaring with rapturous delight

escapee from gravity's tight grip.

Tricky Vision

Scanning glance
fixed glimpse
close-in focus

telescopic
macroscopic
microscopic

forest
trees
leaves

triple lens
for visual grasp
slowly revealing itself.

Daily Anniversary

Snuggled as one
in pillowed pod
before the dawn

suffused
infused with
soporific warmth

suspended
soon again
in the in-between.

Harbinger

A tiny jewel
perfectly shaped
on well-walked path

surrounded by green
luxuriant branches
fern-covered ground

pentagonal with stem
glittery bicolored
in scarlet and gold

acer rubrum leaf
in miniature
firstborn of the season.

Autumn's Orphan

Hastening her shedding
of dried-up, drab, yellow-brown leaves
before the color show begins

green functionality complete
no reason to hang around
not candidate for understudy role

unwanted outlier
to familiar cast of characters
ready to appear in autumn's drama

instead...first to bare her limbs
to Indian summer warmth
before submitting to winter's sleep.

Fall Foliage #10

Watching Nature work
in her photography lab
developing fall foliage

first with pastels
pale yellows mixed with orange
in a sea of lemon-green

next with watercolors
washes of brighter hue
drenching the hillsides

finished in rich oils
with dramatic, lush tones
of Renaissance splendor

fixed with digitizing clarity
as memory sheets
for bulging, autumnal album.

Before It Falls

Shall I pluck it
place in a vase
before it falls

my reddening talisman
still clinging tightly
to Autumn's stage

I touch its glowing surface
with growing attachment
each passing day

and feel its summer pulse
inside leafy veins
slipping away

no, I will not interrupt
its last communing
before it separates.

Delicious Memory Scents

I close my eyes and remember with my nose

freshly-cut grass with its cousin hay
balsam fir needles heated by the sun
muddy tidal marshes bathed in salty air
crushed wintergreen, sweet fern fronds
aromas of wild grapes and scuppernongs
rosa rugosa, yellow jasmine
smell of snow, lilacs in the spring
and wood smoke beckoning me back home.

evocative gifts stored as memory jolts.

Interlopers in Iceland

Balanced on the mid-Atlantic ridge
at its landlocked singularity

left feet on North American plate
right on Europe's creeping-away crust

just two of us, an Adam and Eve
straddling a planetary seam

transported back in terrestrial time
to a rough and restless Eden

interlopers in exotic, gothic gardens
untainted by human habitation.

Spectral Fall Flora

Fragile, skeletal remains
purples, pinks, blues, yellows

all bleached out

ghostly, roadside brigades
fireweed, asters, goldenrod

still with distinctive silhouettes

waiting, waiting, waiting
to be laid to rest
by winter's deep snows.

Fall Foliage #9

Slightest hint of blush upon her cheek

pinkish with orange tinge

perhaps a bit discomfited

for losing summer's youthful green

some wrinkles now across her brow

from shriveled-up excitements

yet satisfaction emanates

as if recalling play beneath her leaves

a gentle quivering follows

presaging ecstasy and loss

soon to happen in the next act

explosive beauty, then oblivion.

Blue-Eyed Daughter

Morning glory blue

star sapphires

a New Mexico sky

not pale baby blue

translucent orbs

washed-out pastel

luminous gems

high-value hue

Scandinavian blue

cool's opposite

charismatic warmth

all-embracing blue.

Composite Son

Your face

a magnet for me

dark hair

dark eyes

piece of nose

mine

from grandmother Roberta

great-grandfather Lee

Dad's brow

cheekbones

chin

chiseled look

through grandfather Joe

great-great-grandfather Claus

traceable sweetness

to Meares/Mahaffey strand

congenial nature

a Jordan gene

inclusive heart

from unknown forebear

composite you

genetic pieces

puzzled together

into handsome mosaic

from South and North

England, Wales, Hibernia

Sweden, Prussia, France

and perhaps, Imperial Rome.

Covered Wagon Train

Just one, long, Penske rental truck

hitched to low-slung, car-loaded trailer

heading west to California's growing fields

three abreast on cab's bench seat

driver, rider with sleeping canine between

fixated on advancing asphalt strip

the sky's the same

for these cross-country travelers

as for those before with pioneering courage

difficult to lose the trail now

with dashboard navigator

rooms, food, diesel fuel easily tracked down

still an odyssey of sorts

with daunting, traffic challenges

if no surprise Indian attacks and possible starvation

a different, settling future beckons

another young, optimistic family

attracted to wished-for promises of the Golden State.

Farewell to an Old Friend

Crown-heavy

it toppled in last week's hurricane

an old botanical friend

for decades unnumbered

shaded myriad passers-by

beneath its wide, green plumage

in every season

exchanged silent greetings

with its temporary tenants

a fixed magnificence

cut down to inconsequential stump

marker for its long-lived service

an obvious absence

quickly unnoticed now

by this once-close roadside associate.

In the Beginning

Suspended in blackest black

encapsulated within moonless night

standing on Kilauean lava

rendered almost blind

except for feeble, flashlight beam

beneath a pitch-dark, star-stitched sky

panicky, scanning anxiously

for any evidentiary light

in the null and void blankness

then creation glimpsed

distant sliver of fiery orange

as in the planet's beginnings.

Fellow Songster

At dawn's starting light

a robin begins his day

assertively vocalizing

happy for his daily stage

improvising few-note tunes

never for applause

lacking operatic timbre

exults in solo status

in suburban garden

mentors in many ways

merrily chirping verses

not always in perfect pitch

bolsters my resolve

to compose the poetry

singing loudly in my soul

soon my fellow songster

will fly away from winter

while I must keep rehearsing.

Panic Time

The sky is falling fast

cascading stocks and credit swaps

lost value with every splatter

time to run to imagined hills

with alchemized accounts

and mattress-ripened money

or.....to stick around and see

if we manage not to slip

on this global banana peel

my tactical, strategic plan

to relax, savor hoarded cache

of chocolate bars and fine champagne.

Ego and Existence

Insignificant transients are we

hitching rides on Terrestrial Earth

blindly exploring the interstices

of our Cosmic Triviality

dodging obstacles, catastrophes

among competing Random Forces

juggling seductive wrongs with right

in this vast Imagined Ethos

chasing extravagant, gilt-edged dreams

before collision with Indifferent Death.

North Woods Orgy

Swarming from all directions
squadrons assemble
at the starting line

hordes of flying jaws
probing proboscises
geared for lightning-quick strikes

high-pitched excitement
shivering the air
as feast time arrives

doors open
disgorging again
giant, warm-blooded chunks.

Idea Snatcher

Slippery as eels
at the edge of consciousness

firmly grasped
clearly formed
deconstructed
reconstructed
into ringing phrases
set aside
not available
to morning memory

often the fate
of unsnared catches.

What Is

To see what is
is wisdom
for living this life

easy to miss
looking always
for the familiar

to see what's not
keeps sameness
echoing through the soul.

Empty Swing

Motionless
it waits
anticipatory
for memory-boy
soaring skyward
fixed now in amber-time

he's gone
flown away
launched from highest arc
towards California dreams
leaving us to push
his Peter-Pan shadow.

Sages of Rockport

Rows and rows of stories
laconically writ
as beginnings and ends

stone tablets presiding
over layers of time
inlaid with love and pain

nestled closely to others
perhaps standoffish
when once upon their lives

joys long forgotten
troubles overcome
merry voices stilled

now silent choir of whisperers
'breathe deeply, prithee
of this sweet, seaside air.'

Butterfly House

Iridescence reigns
along scalloped paths
of flutter-by designs

painted ladies
blue morphos
among flamboyant peers

assembled inside
behind closed doors
a splendid garden

tucked away
from highway view
as meditative space

invisible threads
lead to flying dots
in a maze of thoughts

unraveling self
simplifying life
as mindful exercise

transposable spirits
caged, commingling
on another plane.

Another Chapter

The end, unbidden,
for another chapter

sudden, abrupt
unexpected

terms and conditions
destabilizing

losses mounting
gains less so

steady erosion
of social edifice

perhaps the next
less subtraction.

Genealogy Mole

I dig underground
deep, deeper
into labyrinthian time

prospecting, mining
sifting through dated shreds
for ancestral secrets

tunneling blindly
along dead-ended tracks
until one is not

unlocked
a faintly lit chamber
with storied family treasure.

Between the Cracks

Through which crack should I look today
to glimpse the intentions of the universe

where ants live
the chipmunk stores its seeds
woodpeckers hunt for lunch

through invisible cracks

where love meets hate
accidents wait to happen
a fractured soul tries again

or through some quixotic one

at the top of the nearest rainbow
where space and time converge
gravity meets anti-gravity

I peer through all of the above and see
the universe looking back at me
with shaking-head sadness and bitter regret.

Spring Again

Timid snowdrops
white heads bowed
in case of blizzard

nearby phallic
optimistic shoots
of daffodils

pale crocuses
blooming carefully
in occasional array

fast greening grass
yellowish forsythia
budding red maples

rebelling against
persistent chill
of northeast winds

spring
fashionable again
in its barest apparel.

Easter Egg Hunt

Eager seekers-in-waiting
on marks for whistled start

rapid, random scattering
bee lines to likely sites

ovals spotted, snatched
with seductive success

each surprise discovery
another jackpot win

pastel-colored stashes
filling memory baskets

childhoods overlapping
for hunters and hiders.

Awaiting the Storm

Sporadic advance
of snow-flocked air

late April storm
at north woods camp

snugly ensconced
with loaded woodstove

intimate company
of husband and dog

a Frost anthology
snow-cached champagne

front-row seating
for nature's drama

encased within
white isolation

panoramic stillness
a privileged event.

Little Miss Blooming

Refreshed innocence
as snowdrops

random charms
of croci

sunny daffodils'
eager smile

merry abandon
of dandelions

cut tulips'
amusing antics

apple-blossom potential
trailing forsythian frills.

New Mexico Reprised

Welcomed back
by clarifying light

needy, fresh eyes feast
on unclaimed nature

tufted vegetation
holds restless sands together

rocky-red, pastel mesas
stand artfully arranged

against chiseled silhouettes
of shrouded mountainscapes

all displayed in grand expanse
of epic, high-desert vistas

the bigness beckons
with timeless consolation

my spirit lifts again
on bluest-sky kite tail.

Out-of-Whack World

Cause on one planet
effect now on another

uncivil demagogues
with Orwellian scripts

facts dismissed
data without reason

upside-down logic
cynically twisted

creationism in
climate change out

resources deemed infinite
more billionaires needed

militarism cheered
environment in tatters

rationality denounced
drawn, quartered, and killed.

Only Beauty

No truth exists
except for Beauty

only constant
among elusive virtues

others fungible
subject to human change

muddled into
crass mediocrity

alas, even Beauty
sometimes succumbs.

Re-Invention

Massive white dunes creep northeastward
blown on relentless southwest winds

erasing vast, black lava plain
atop rifted, high-desert valley

collapsed from lofty mountains
once beneath a salty sea

all wrought as geologic blinks
in parade of anarchic change

reinventing the planet's face
in small to monumental spaces

nature's restless, experimental quest
still with stacks of masks in waiting.

In Family Memoriam

1969
1977
1981
1984
1991
2001
2005
2010
2010.

Genesis

Here I sit on tapestried sofa
cozy-warm beside wood-burning stove
meditating in magical glow
of brightly lit, votive Christmas tree

here I am, here I am
from where, from where

a cosmic speck collided with others
in great, beckoning silence
warmed by a distant sun
in benevolent galactic corner

here I am, here I am
from where, from where

infused liquid in oceanic flask
rich with organizing, chemical bits

steeping for a billion years
'til sparked into the living riddle

here I am, here I am
from where, from where

molecular to microscopic being
metabolizing eager elements
to duplicate an exact other
spawning boundless speciation

here I am, here I am
from where, from where

watery expanse flooded with color

blooming with fantastical forms

crafted by available time

in the hands of insatiable change

here I am, here I am

from where, from where

emboldened fins to wings and feet
seizing arctic to tropic niches
roaming grassy, savannah plains
in quest of exits for northern lands

here I am, here I am
from where, from where

hunting, farming, assembling empires
the old deposed to exploit the new
crossing insistent seas to fertile futures
to reap even more of nature's secrets

here I am, here I am
from where, from where

building cities, skyscrapers, spaceships
upon shifting technological sands
in quest of the moon, next to Mars
beyond and beyond and beyond

here I am, here I am
to where, to where

here I sit mythologizing
cozy-warm beside wood-burning stove
in brightly lit glow of votive Christmas tree
with my insignificant, wondrous existence.