Poems & Other Lies
Remembering Dad
My father is dead and gone. Nothing remains but echoes and the footprints of his long walk through life. What can I say? Why would I say it? He can’t hear my words, they are just more echoes in the space he once filled. We had a contentious relationship when I was a...
The Joys of Summer
The air is stagnant filled with the sweet smell of blackberries fermenting under the hot August sun A large animal, grazing the brambles An expert tracker would be hard-pressed to distinguish my scat from that of a bear shapeless, black, and filled with...
Seasonal Concupiscence
Spreading maples throb with bees The air tastes like honey Everywhere, trees are blooming Here and there, beneath licentious conifers and cottonwoods dripping with pollen, a shy morel appears.
Early Spring
Watching the grey clouds shifting east overhead. Spring song fills the air with melodious twitter-are those robins? Roosters near and distant offer a hoarse counterpoint. A raptor glides low across the field. Good morning.
Silence of The Lonesome
The silence of the lonesome is rent by wails and cackles A cabal of coyotes singing incantations in the dark hour of morning long before the rooster dares stir
Bonfire of the Vanities
As the country breathed a collective sigh of relief, we had a bonfire and set off some fireworks to celebrate Trump's ignominious departure and the Biden/Harris inauguration. Looking forward to a brighter future.
Cardamom Tea
Lying in the hot tub drinking cardamom tea and staring at the stars, in my head I have fixed my motorcycle. I’ve graded the front yard and reseeded it with red clover. I’ve rebuilt the raised beds and added a third. Between the gardens, I have carefully...
Damp
Damp The clouds have come right down to the ground, enveloping me It is not raining, but I can feel the water particles brushing against my skin with their cold, damp touch
November 9th
November 9th The stars shine in bright defiance of the waning half moon Behind me and to the west the lunatic yipping of coyotes echos A farm dog standing sentry barks and the pack falls silent Frost sparkles on the ground yesterday’s storm has blown...
Early November
Light breeze from the southeast sends golden leaves sailing by one at a time
Lit 101
I had a professor in my freshman literature course who was obsessed with Christian symbolism. Scarred by a Catholic education, he looked for it in everything, from Franz Kafka to used car advertisements. Raised in the Episcopal Church, I sympathized with his biases. ...
Chanterelles
The sun filters through the tall trees Like light through a loosely woven tapestry The woods are damp with recent rain Filled with the earthy, spicy smell Of fresh mushrooms emerging from the moss
The Vastness
Wide awake Staring into the vastness The firmament filled with flickering lights Clouds roll in from the west Extinguishing the stars Each in turn Like the candles on the alter At the close of service I am left Alone in the dark Waiting for the...
Denial
I like my job. It is work that needs doing and I enjoy doing it. I have worked through several public health crises; I was a lab tech and phlebotomist through more than one hepatitis outbreak. I was working when AIDS first began to blossom, before we really knew...
Still Living My Best Life
Amy has been gone for three weeks, gone south to California to take care of her mother who is recovering from hip surgery. Our niece, Tessa, remarked to her: "Uncle Vernon must be living his best life, up there unsupervised." "Vernon lives his best life every day, "...
