Autumn arrives
leaves are changing
falling
carpeting the paths in the woods
The first freeze has been and gone
and now warm again
it rains
and rains
and rains some more
it will be days
before we see the stars again
as nature takes a breath
and so do I
Oct 25, 2015
Oct 25, 2015 at 2:53 PM UTC
In no way am I ready
for the bluster of winter
the deep freeze
and the ceasing of all things
green and growing
In no way am I prepared
for endless days of cold
the chill inside my house
and the greyness of the skies
for months on end
In no way am I ready
and yet
undaunted in the end
I am unwilling
to give up
Oct 25, 2015
Oct 25, 2015 at 2:15 PM UTC
From the very first
she gently lifts him
pushes him to breathe
and so the learning starts
He is so clumsy
as she teaches him to swim
she laughs a gentle mother’s laugh
if inwardly
No arms to discipline or hug
yet what a heart to give
to her one small and only son
just twelve feet long at birth
One distant day he’ll near her length
at forty-five or so
and shall remain
the most important thing
to her
upon this Earth
Oct 23, 2015
Oct 23, 2015 at 7:17 AM UTC
Exhausted
old
he exerts himself
no longer
Nothing left
no energy to expend
for simple
useless
survival
He does not eat
or sleep
but calmly closes his eyes
dying
at last
drifting with the tide
and
returns once more
to land
Oct 23, 2015
Oct 23, 2015 at 7:12 AM UTC
She had been at sea for three decades
her first voyage at age eighteen
a week after her marriage
in the year of our Lord 1883
She married a sailing man
captain of his own ship
handsome, bearded and tall
a fine commander of his men
as they searched the sea for whales
She loved life at sea
and could imagine no other
the motion of the ship
the sounds of the rigging and the sails
the quiet companionship
with her husband every evening
She was beloved by her husband’s men
whom she mothered well
having had no sons of her own
but nurtured and healed
patched and sewed
bloodied and broken hearts and men
Often she came out on deck
for she knew when they would find them
and though she was in the stern
and the lookout was high in the crow's nest
she saw many whales they missed
She thrilled each time she saw them
awed by their sheer size
marveling at their strength
humbled by their beauty
careful to hide her feelings
Sometimes she could feel
when a whale would blow
and she would call to the first mate
so the men looked at her
as the whale passed unseen
Most times she silently prayed
willing the lookout to search
the wrong spot of ocean
and felt again the pang
of disloyalty to her husband
for he commanded a whaling ship
But then the lookout's call came
"Thar she blows!"
and the men sprang to action
taking after the whale in longboats
while she escaped below
She had seen before the killing
she would not watch again
too many whales succumbed
to exploding harpoons
and a death horrifyingly cruel
And she wondered
what would happen
if only whales could scream . . .
Oct 23, 2015
Oct 23, 2015 at 6:49 AM UTC
The White Whale
She swam the gauntlet
Six times, seven
Then took a chance on love
And was rewarded
Far beyond her hopes and dreams
But now this eighth trip south
Much harder than before
And she so weary
Overburdened
Unesteemed
Then it went wrong
The water
Kind no longer
Tainted and impure
Took first her child
And then, no longer caring, she
When soon she came to rest
Among the rocks
Almost as if to say
You’ve cared not for my ocean home -
Now you must deal with me.
Oct 23, 2015
Oct 23, 2015 at 6:28 AM UTC
The first in over sixty years
The whooping cranes are living wild
Now one young pair has laid an egg
And, too, with luck, will raise their child
They near Kissimmee were released
Beating the odds, survived to breed
A ray of hope they might increase
And ***** the armor of human greed
But cranes need water as do we
As still we pump the wetlands dry
Our chains of lakes sprout fat resorts
The river of grass condemned to die
Yet dare we dream we might reverse
This harsh inflicted damage done
Still apathy is our nation's curse
Which battles none has ever won
Today I cheer the whooping cranes
Who still have hope that they might see
Upon some far and distant day
Their offspring's offspring flying free
Oct 23, 2015
Oct 23, 2015 at 6:00 AM UTC
My breathing slows
my mind is stilled
my spirit rises
Falun Gong
The evening weeps
in empathy
an evil steals
echoes of souls
As One we join
our sanctity
in supplication
to Divine
As more among us
simply vanish
Disappeared
without a trace
Oct 23, 2015
Oct 23, 2015 at 5:32 AM UTC
Seeking the words with which to convey
all of things that I've wanted to say
high on a mountain or out on the beach
wrestling as they remain just out of reach
Oct 23, 2015
Oct 23, 2015 at 5:02 AM UTC
Fleas, ticks and chiggers
the bane of a rural life
animals suffer
Oct 16, 2015
Oct 16, 2015 at 2:24 AM UTC