we looked
you drove
I rode
we talked
we offered
they rejected
we walked
and just like that:
decisions are made
Decisions
Two-Wheeled Wonderings
as we were driving
to our campsite
a teenage girl
crashed her bike
into a red clay hill
falling among the
rocks and it seemed
on purpose
…..that’s
one thing….but
when I took the
dogs for a walk
a preteen boy
crashed his bike
(jerked the handlebars!)
on the concrete
(on purpose!)
skidding flesh
of knees and palms
the very next day
leaving me to
ponder:
what does this say?
Purple Foxglove Forgiveness Haiku
am I naive to
believe that purple foxgloves
bloom in forgiveness?
that what was destroyed
smiles Heaven’s understanding
and blesses again?
or am I just a
poet choosing to believe
signs hold messages?
Feeding Turtles Marshmallows
I was mad since you
were late so I fed turtles
all your marshmallows
no roasting for you
our discussion was our campfire
spark, flame, sizzle, blaze
they smiled and thanked me
reminded me to tell you
to keep slowing down.
Has Tomorrow Come?
when I’m birdwatching
and you’re nodding
off in the chair
next to me on
our campsite,
me: thrilled in
a composed way
behind my binoculars
and you with
holes in your socks
broken-breath quiet snores
I wonder ~
are we those old
people we’ve
always known
we’d become
one day?
Blind Rage Rispetto
Blind Rage Rispetto
such blind rage overtakes me on a thought
these triggers self-combust in open flame
one moment I’m quite civil, next I’m not
and all the same, I know you’re not to blame
I’m not sure how to turn things back around
to compromise and find some common ground
to put the world back on an even keel
……until I try to feel how you must feel
Invitation
Invitation
I was once
invited to a
wedding
but I saw
the truth
of that
invitation
and
declined
without hesitation
without gift
without regret
without excuse
Reduced Speed Ahead
Reduced Speed Ahead
crave different days
not working deadline-driven
not governed by clocks
seems all or nothing
drowning in a swift riptide
too tired to love life
sacrificing hearts
of days just to earn a wage
what’s a better way?
On Holocaust Remembrance Day: an etheree
To commemorate Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, I’ve written a reverse etheree.
To the hell of a concentration camp
To the death showers of Zyklon B
To separated families
To long lost baby shoes
To Hitler’s nightmare
To starvation
To ghettos
To hate
I
Am
From love
From living
From just like you
From family meals
From falling deep in love
From dreams and aspirations
From the freedom to live and choose
From the tribe of Father Abraham
From my ancestors’ strong family tree
What Chickens and Pigs Teach
we could take lessons
from chickens in a dust bath
shaking it all off
instead dwell in mud
wallowing unforgiveness
pig kin bickering
get out of the mire
unstuck from the yucky muck
before it’s too late!
*inspired by a recent sermon heard on YouTube
Common Threads 