Poetry

Family genealogy book All our relations One black bear A flock of towhees Passports We’ll go nowhere without you Herd of deer Pileated woodpecker Tax records Heavy price to pay Mountain lion Douglas fir Gathering an ark Awaiting a new covenant Gray fox Yellow warbler What’s the evacuation plan Chestnut-backed chickadee We can’t leave Wild […]

I look at my raised feet beefy with squish Purple-skin design with lizard like texture Aching from too much pacing. I can’t seem to level this Mount Everest of fatigue With the right amount of sleep Not to mention getting rid of the malaise and dead wood brain I ‘ve found the bottom of the […]

Not having the pleasure of prior acquaintance, I wasn’t sure whether their upturned noses were a constitutional characteristic or a register of their displeasure on finding me suddenly in their midst. The work of a moment dispelled my uncertainty. They looked to me, then at the earth, and then took to the trees, unwilling to […]

Plodding along now Like dinosaurs on parade, With no hands clapping. Kirk Gothier

Like fire flickering Western Tiger Swallowtails Flit from flame to flame J. Commander

Youch! The milk cried, You are scalding me! It’s OK, the teaspoon said Stirring the milk gently The yeast was nervous There in the curve of the bowl The salt remained salty The flour simply inert Oh! What you don’t know, dough! You are about to come alive! Then it all came together Liquid, flour, […]

In my garden buds go limp before they bloom– wishful thinking on a tired stalk. My hose snakes out but we can’t bring the real relief they crave. Down deep and dry the rich earth sleeps under a tightfisted sky. Carolyn Lehman

After the great silence, we come to the church of blessing. On this sunny Sunday on the plaza, we stream onto the sidewalks quiet and contrite. We listen to the wisdom of the farmers as they tell us of the past year—how much fell sick and died—how much had to be pruned back and burned, […]

“Captains, form your teams!” the teacher called, “First, Maria!” She was my friend, but liked to win, so chose the tallest child, who ran so fast. The other captain went for someone thin. Then they took turns, and every time they named ‘not me’. The smallest girl, the least desired, the slowest runner, not fierce […]

A lullaby lauding your purple stripe for the fearless who fought for Stonewall Inn, praising your bold red stripe honoring Harvey Milk’s resilient courage, blessing your orange stripe of healing for wounds external and internal. A lullaby filled with mourning for all those who died of AIDS, forgiving cake bakers who discriminate against same sex […]

A burst of sunshine At the end of a long stalk, A dandelion. Sherman Schapiro

Why don’t the words come When they came so readily before? Beauty, the stuff of poetry, is still here The birds call and squabble at the feeders The flowers bloom and go to seed The wind whispers in the tree And the fog lounges lazily on the distant ridge As the sun creeps shyly through […]