May 31, 2014

oohs and ahhs
drifting away with the smoke —
fireworks


May 30, 2014

all through the morning
my heart pumps apologies
for the door I slammed


May 29, 2014

puddles winking up
at the now-blue sky
did it rain? he asks


May 28, 2014

do you sing? she asks
and we smile at each other
unexpected ease


(in gratitude to Maya Angelou)

May 27, 2014

whose emergency?
sirens sounding closer
now that she’s gone



May 26, 2014

fresh flowing water
touching salty sea once more
sweet Colorado


(inspired by this)

May 25, 2014

the last-second swerve
of a swallow as it swoops
and skims the water


May 24, 2014

in our games back then
the winner was the one who
still had one bite left


May 23, 2014

longing
for a light to follow
in the rain-dark night


May 22, 2014

we try to explain
when words grow thick in our throats
we hold him instead


in memoriam: Liz Gray Erickson

May 21, 2014

early morning itch
remembering last night’s
mosquitos


May 20, 2014

winged seed cases
whirling down in a hurry
to rest in the ferns



May 19, 2014

mid-spring morning
the first peony to bloom
sets an example


May 18, 2014

road ends in swamp —
the difference between
our map and the world


May 17, 2014

our long-fallen tree
still nourishing the garden
these thirty years on

(for my dear friend A.Y.)

May 16, 2014

sudden quiet
as we pass under the bridge
a break in the rain

May 15, 2014

my almost-deaf friend
isn’t sure he’s got it right
I come out again


May 14, 2014

even now
with the light almost gone
a few last bird songs


May 13, 2014

the smell of chalk dust
brings me all the way back to
elementary



May 12, 2014

how to convince
the scurrying spider
we’re on the same side



May 11, 2014

each afternoon
the mailbox spider and I
hopeful in our ways


May 10, 2014

azaleas in bloom
bees exchange revisions
to their flight plans


May 09, 2014

the stars at night
slowing down again
to wait for us


May 08, 2014

spring’s grass engine
silent persistent pistons
green and green and green




May 07, 2014

young garden rabbit:
quite sure a jump to the moon
would be do-able


May 06, 2014

with the old tree gone
the sun coaxes a raft
of new blue blossoms


May 05, 2014

I meet the fence
on equal terms and smile,
clambering over



May 04, 2014

the rain circles back
the song in my head all day
is a round


May 03, 2014

we coast down Quarry
with arms flung wide to catch
the feeling of flight


May 02, 2014

there at the window
a little more of the moon
in my mirror, too


May 01, 2014

come on in, she says
in the midst of the downpour
I hear a new note