we looked
you drove
I rode
we talked
we offered
they rejected
we walked
and just like that:
decisions are made
Decisions
Untitled Art
untitled painting
strolling through the museum
white grape sour on glass
in left hand, merlot
in right, pinot grigio
blending portmanteaus
On Hearing the News
one of my adult daughters
still calls novels
chapter books ~
on hearing
our family news
she texted:
there I was
listening to my own
chapter book
in my own
little world
of someone else’s
little did I know
there was another
story unfolding
in my own….
I smiled and replied
this could be the start
of a new chapter…….
What Wolves Do
don’t let a wolf
in the hen house
first, you’ll see
a feather, wayward
flitting in the breeze
stuck to the ground
next you’ll
come up short
on the evening
headcount
twelve will be ten
then eight as
two by two
they all disappear
consumed by the
always hungry wolf
doing what wolves do:
devouring the innocent
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?
Give Me Your Shoes
Give me your Tevas
Let me have your Birkenstocks
Toss me your On Clouds
Your Chacos, your Reefs
I have a shoe addiction
in my DNA
soles are soul-soothing
not changing size where clothes will
holding me steady
Give me your Nikes
Let me have your Adidas
Toss me your Hey Dudes,
Your Hokas, your Clarks
I have a shoe addiction
in my DNA
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
Common Threads 