a fairy, two cats,
and a Mandalorian —
this is the way

even when planned
the clear-cutting of fall crops
feels like violence

today's long game
of hide and seek
with the rain

as we sleep
the trees cover our rake work
with fresh orange leaves

in which we wonder
why helping neighbors in secret
is so much more fun

today again I spent
more time than usual
looking away

waxing crescent moon
still below the horizon —
unhookable fish

forgetful squirrels
and their contributions —
reforestation

today would have been
his eighty-seventh birthday —
good wind for sailing

worn shirts, old blankets —
some nights there is not enough
softness in the world

chasing the sun
up into the sky —
bright orange cosmos

stars reeling overhead,
the ache resolving into
calls for a cease fire

I meant to visit —
then I planted a garden
and you know the rest

two old cicadas
checking in with each other —
"Hard frost?" "No, not yet."

misdiagnosis —
she looks one more time
for a doctor who listens

no food, no power,
no water, no cell service —
all we can think of

pulling over
on the way to somewhere
to watch clouds light up

feeling the weight
of each log in its place —
stacking firewood

closing my eyes
to concentrate on summer —
last ear of sweet corn

sweeping goldenrod
its arc bending towards the light
we know is dwindling

we tuck the roots in
with the leaves that have let go —
sugar maple

I needed to hear
my path was survivable —
National Coming Out Day

resplendent fox —
the wide green Earth transformed
into a backdrop

warm autumn days —
we warn the ferns not to send
those fresh new shoots up

more leaves on the lawn
than are left on the tree, now —
early rake days

still here
with their wellness check-ins —
mated cardinals

homemade mulch
and a quilt of dead leaves —
let's tuck the bees in

perennials busy 
building the roots they'll need 
come spring

twin positive tests —
we tell the stories of how
it could have been worse

my father's birth month —
no need for a card
again this year

toast, applesauce,
a small bowl of rice —
easing back into life