3 am

waxing moon
high in sky
growing each night

empty roads
passing lights
cold frozen water
covering asphalt

water main break
a sign of cold winter

a fox sits off to
the side of the last street
eyes ablaze
yellow

hunting
watching
being

when will i
simply
be,

devoid of
the
mess
of
modern
civilization?

morning dawns
cool and fresh

the night
recedes

the magic that  is known
came for being alone

ahhhhhh
bliss

Fatty fatty
standin' in the yard,
Put down that leaf blower
and start burnin' some lard.

pick up that rake!
clean that grass!
don’t be growin' yourself
no big fat ***!

skinny skinny
standin' on the lawn,
Put down that leaf blower
and start buildin' some brawn.

pick up that rake!
clean that grass!
get to workin’ your
skinny little ***!

was it you who visited
the yard the other day?

out in bright sunlight?

tonight you sit off
the side of the road

catching sight of you
my heart soars with
delight

wild creature
you bring
nature and
all her healing
into my life

lost for many moons
you
and all the other
critters kept watch
over me

waiting
waiting
waiting

until i
would return
to all of you
again.

little creatures
i hear you
moving around
behind the wall

are you warm?
are you well fed?
do you have little friends
to play with
to party with?

your little scratching
and
little paws padding
here and there
keeping me company
these long dark nights

may i ask one small favor please?
please don't chew on the wires
it costs me money for repairs

and it might just cost you your life!

be safe little mouse... don't chew up this house!

Puppyhead leapt,
up
from bed,
to the door she raced.

special high pitched bark
reserved for the fox.

learned did I,
the hard way,
not to open the door.

not to let puppyhead
go racing out,
full speed ahead,
out into the night.

wild and free,
and right straight
after
yet another
wild life.

so we watch,
from behind
closed door,

peering out into
the dark of the night.

shadow moving around,
surveilling the ground,
a white tipped tail
barely visible as past it moves.

mean feel I,
for not opening
that door.

puppyhead barks,
ooks up at my head,
then out to that yard.

"Why can't I be out there
now,
alone with that fox?"

learned I,
the hard way,
puppyhead won't
back down.

neither will the
wild nocturnal creatures,
who visit our den,

during the very dark,
the dark,
of the middle of the night.

so I creep silently
up the stairs,
every so quietly,

so puppyhead
won't hear,
won't want to follow,
won't want to come,
out here with me instead.

open a door,
do I,
a door to a deck.

alone stand I
peering down into the dark,
the dark of the night.

hearing that fox
moving about,
creeping along fence line,

finding a place,
a place of
escape.

almost free,
to continue to roam
through this night,
this dark,
& beautiful night.

she leaps in one
graceful arc,
up and over
high gate.

pads off she goes,
into this night,

roaming along
this solitary creature,

taking such free flight
on this magical night.

93, 94, 95

watching the obituaries
when will it come?

for the one I love?

the one who gave
birth to me?

years flow by

ups and downs
so many forgotten.

tears and fears
washed away by time.

silently we sit,
content,
now

and perhaps
for all of time.

morning coming
owl hoots

in the woods
out back in a tree

first heard
since puppyhead
died

been moving too fast
not stopping to pause

dear owl
how happy it makes
me to hear
your call

walking alone
under the waning moon
hot cup of tea
held in blue mittened paws

vast feet of snow
covering
muffling
this earth

nary a form in sight
but one nice
girl at the
beginning of this
night walking
delight

mind circles round
to little itches
of annoyance

tiny troubles
of minor proportions

pondering nature
hers and ours

which emotions
are off limits

seems those
that burst &
explode
in
messy ways

but dear fellow
humans
what is so
uncomfortable
about
exploring
your

shadow side?

my love
my moon

your shadows
subtle & calm

these walks with you
create me
fresh
anew

prognostication
trognostication
snogmosstignation
flogtrosticatio­n

i don’t know what
prognostication means
so i thought i’d
take a little time
and make a rhyme.

rain falling
tears falling

today it is one
then the other

a few moments pass
everything changes

heart lightens
laughter rings

each day
each moment

different.....

red sun rising in the east,
casts its rays through
tall straight trees,
leaves full and green
stand high above.

still cool,
three small deer
with small velvet antlers
stir and wander away.

rust and red
copper coats of summer,
already turned grey
to match the
mute & subtle colors
of winter woods.

we stand,
we five.
watching one another
my four-footed friend
wishing to take chase.

red sun in the east
continues rising.
a quiet and sacred
waning summer morn.

Time flies so quickly,
wasn't it only yesterday i was pecking away?

Poetry flowing through my fingers,
not knowing what i said.

But laughing years later,
re-reading where it led.

Dark nights, cold winter
is coming soon.

A new puppyhead keeps me company
through all the many moons.

fearful

worries about what
might happen


times have changed

sad


people watching
expecting the worst

what has happened?

these are sad times

$500,000 for security
for fun!

rather crazy if you ask me.

I shall return to silence
to solitude
to stillness

humans?

who needs them!

seems way too complicated

loses lots of something in the translation.

suppose pictures are part of that?

but really?

just wear a hat!

Huge snapping turtle
caught on the stepping stones

puppyhead startled
me, am amazed

prehistoric in shape
adds magic

to this rainy
spring
morning

snickersnee
now that is one,
cute, little sounding word.

snickersnee,
snickersnee,
com'ere little,
snickersnee.

here little
snickersnee.

makes a right
fine
cute name.

but look it up,
yes, of course *
like i had to do,
whadda think,
i know anything?
yeah right!*

now let us turn to
SNICKERSNEE.....

i leave the rest of
this inquiry to you....

scrape, scrape
went the sharp blade,
the sound wafting,
through this
fresh, cool,
sweet,
morning air,
where the young
handsome
brave lad
was sharpening
his huge
snickersnees.






\SNIK-er-snee\
noun
1. a knife, especially one used as a weapon.
Quotes
The commander of the sloop was hurrying about and giving a world of orders, which were not very strictly attended to, one man being busy in lighting his pipe, and another in sharpening his snicker-snee.
-- Washington Irving, Bracebridge Hall, 1882
Origin
Snickersnee came to English in the late 1600s from the Dutch steken meaning "to stick" and snijden meaning "to cut."

snow falling
blanketing the land

cold wind whips
snow to and fro

just the perfect night
to leap and dance

among the snow
the sparkling light

empty heart
walks alone

along white streets
empty and silent

heart teeter tottering
from happy to sad

in a single instant
only a fleeting moment

a deer leaps to bound off
stay little one

under your shelter of brush
no need for you to rush

muffled world
quieting chaos

little people huddled
in little homes

staring at idiot boxes
losing minds cell by little cell

me... i think.. if there were
an i and an i to think

i wander out among
the snowflakes

and the critters
and the wind

sitting alone

surprises appear

fun ensues

wonder ensues

life, lessons..

so much

I’m not ready
to have you leave me

you have so much more

to teach me


I know your heart hurts
i know you are tired

I know your barrel is almost empty
but just don’t leave me now

I need you

and
i  think you need me now
too

ain't it kinda
funny,
how once you curtail
all yer drinkin',

'n stop puttin' out,
so much creativity
doth spout!

why did I go out?

why did I step out?

times are so much
worse

people paranoid

dollars made upon fear

what the ****

is going on here?!

Freshly laundered,
Egyptian cotton sheets.

Sun dried, fresh,
slumber divine.

sunrises, sunsets
living in harmony with Mother Nature,
moving in harmony with the seasons.

electronic sunsets setting earlier,
electronic sunrises rising later.
a peaceful way of life.

The strapping young lad & the manly cowboy
went out for a brew.
"i'd like to go camping with you."

"this ain't no brokeback mountian,
if that's on which yew were a countin'."

"no worries mate,
really, i wasn't looking for a date!"

The manly cowboy put back his hat,
closed the door,
and so manly,
walked away.

Down the path he trod,
avoiding all the rolling rod.

Upon he came
to three little young lasses,

crouching over
looking silently intent,
little sticks in their hands.

There lay a little
grey mole*
dead to the world.

Stiff as tree
eyes no longer to see.

“Good day ladies”
said he,
the manly cowboy,
tipping his hat
so very gentlemanly.

“what’s  that i see you a pokin’?”

‘Only a dead mouse.”
said the three.

“Why don’t you move
the little guy,
over a little there,
over a little that way.

"slowly with your sticks.
gentle as tongs.

"cover him sweetly
with a blanket
of wild flowers.

"and leave him
lying there so lovingly."

i give you this advice
be nice to the mice,

instead of poking death
death in the head
so innocently
but
so disrespectfully.”

Then tipping his hat,
he was gone.

tall red rubber boots on this rainy morning
bring me joy, happiness.
stomping in the puddles,
hiking in the wet wet leaves.

standing still as the raindrops
pour down over umbrella,
drops pounding the pond with intensity,
watching mother nature in action.

still winter but with little
signs of spring emerging.
green green shoots of jonquil leaves,
a bit of sun and warm will bring color.

for now the trunks of the trees are grey
and branches bare.
crows caw on this quiet wet morning
flitting from branch to branch before taking flight.

raindrops mix with creek water,
rushing down over rocks
and logs,
dams created.

such beauty and peace
on this raw morning,
such profound love is found
in the stillness and silence...

in Mother Nature
in the Tao.....

"it’s time to go
to bed NOW,
right NOW
right this second,
or you are going to get a spanking."

bubbling up with
happy glee
the stumpy little
legs ran
and danced
around
ignorning this stern
sound booming,
this stern
sound looming.

"get upstairs,
NOW,
get into bed,
i’ll be up
in a minute,
to give you
that spanking."

Uh oh!
her fat little
squishy three-year-old
legs
carried her up
as she ran up
the stairs.

heart beating
fast with fear
of impending doom.

coming into the room
she looked about
desperately,
spying a book,
into her bed
she took.

shoving that book
inside her jammy
bottoms,
and covered her bare
little ***
but,
good.

lying there waiting,
with
layers of
help
so thickly,
so comfortingly,
spread in between,
that big hand,
and her little ***
filled with dread.

The little one,
so happy
just moments ago,
not so happy
now,
just lying there
waiting.
filling with
looming fear.


oh what a life,
an eternal seesaw
of happy and sad
mad and glee.

book and
pajama bottoms,
sheet,
and blanket.

he’ll never see,
that book that’s,
a covering me.

waiting with dread,
the minutes ticking
in the dark,
ever so slowly,
an  eternity.

the huge giant
finally came up,
big shoes,
booming each
step of the way.

he
gave a good swat,
then out
he went,
closing the door,
shaking a finger
and saying,
“i don’t want to hear any more."

giggled
did she,
and thougth to
herself,
i didn’t even
feel that
and he didn’t,
even know.

hee hee hee..

pulling that book
away from her
be-hinny,
she stretched
out on her back
so comfortably,
so calmly,
and very
peacefully.

so happy
was she,
with her,
Oh So Smart
3-year-old
little self.