when weariness
is indistinguishable from grief —
willow trees bent low

imagining
the mud has healing powers —
we learn from our boy

with every day
a little more grapevine
a little less tree

gone-to-seed grass
tickling her palm as she passes —
summer’s handshake

trickling in
as the birds dry off —
today’s dawn chorus

cycling home
to the cheers of my neighbors —
so much closer now

bandages and water  —
protesters go on a run
for supplies

every downhill path
now slick with fresh mud —
we grab for each other

just the one rain cloud —
we take cover together
her smile my sun

pandemic lap lane —
long hair waving
like seaweed

acorns underfoot —
the squirrels so busy
with forgetting

afternoon ravens
tucked into shadowed nooks
their black eyes watching

scanning the treetops
for a bird whose song I know —
anniversary

thistles swaying
under the weight
of goldfinches

cloud-crowded skies
no sign of the Perseids —
I wish on a memory

loon songs
an echo of freedom —
we take turns crying

the ides of August —
grasshoppers punching through
to cooler air

mid-summer sun —
the front yard bunny
forgets to be afraid

cosmos and ironweed
sharing their corner of sun —
we chose well, you and I

great blue heron —
still point around which
the Earth revolves

tasting my own salt
as the heat wave shimmers —
meadowlarks singing

last after-eight sunset —
let’s drive to the reservoir
and skinny dip

spending long days
in search of shade and shelter —
survival instincts

we give up looking
and discover just how much
we were in our way

flickering
in the bamboo leaves —
heat lightning

goldfinches in flight
their calls like laughter
brighter by the day

pandemic stories —
my throat sore from yelling
past the mask

hiding in plain sight —
a green heron in the reeds
my father’s alcoholism

darker sky ahead —

we travel in the same direction

as the storm

noisy neighbors —

I float a lullaby

over the fence

twenty twenty —

a year's worth of photos

me with my eyes closed