No ducks ply the slough, no great egrets glide. Wrung out clouds pattern the marsh in light ink. Air as crisp as cave-cooled watermelon. Silence ambushes me in this quiet place of still water, wood pilings— remains of a mill— an old railway track. My lungs catch a scent I am an egret sensing fish […]
Poetry
Clam Beach Hike
Beautiful walk along Clam Beach shore Scampered over dunes and grass and more Driftwood wet upon the sand Placed there gently by ocean’s hand A misty day, no sun is seen The water a pale metallic green No voices heard, nor others this day Save a man, his daughter, their dog at play The mighty […]
Swimmers: Seen from the Opposite Bank of the Mattole
No longer willowy, taut and bronzed, perhaps faintly recalling their golden youth, they are pale fleshed; their yellowed skin contrasts with the scintillant, deep green river. They are round, dimpled at the shoulders, their arms are soft, bellies contentedly filled out, thighs widened by sitting and work. They sought this broad and shadowy pool. Broad-leafed […]
New Shades of Summer – A Retrospective on the Life of June
How we were drawn into this light, Released from bedtime curfews, And freed from morning’s grasp: Those signatories of winter With their dark ink now all blurred and faded. In this light, We might hear the rhythm of seasons, Or trace the day’s soft edge. Maybe rediscover the contours of our soul, Or we might […]
Ok. I am ok.
Wondering when the other shoe will drop. The hammer will fall Wondering while my chicken cooks with rice Why others need a dime. A quart of milk. Ok. I am ok. Wondering when the fist will fall. At the hand that never strikes but may Wondering with my back to the wall Why others bleed. […]
The Big Dipper
Dangles above the coastline Where countless stars and waves Welcome me home. One of these stars Is extremely rare Having immigrated From a Dwarf Galaxy Far, far away … All of the waves come From foreign lands Much closer to home.
Cabaret Plays in Eureka
Eureka’s sky does ominous so well! The unswerving day makes orderly retreat Down C Street, where mean hubcaps cast a spell From 101, subwoofers on the beat. Around the world the headlines bask like snakes And barely give a rattle as we pass. “It’s only politics, for heavens sakes And what’s that got to do […]
The Aging Entomologist
Dedicated to my friend Tony Humbugs Westkamper and his lovely wife Hadassah The aging entomologist won his fair lady not with blandishments of youth – dancing, archery, bumpers of beer, dark-side adventures , or concerted rock, but strolling in fog-shrouded woods, under firs, slow musing in dripping shadows near the slipping down of purling waters, wooed […]
Faith
Is not an equation Waiting for resolution. It is the Sun rising Chasing darkness Into the corners Of mindfulness, Letting Go…
Raggedy Rainbow
My colors aren’t quite shining, on this dim lit day. I’m usually pinks and purples, now I’m just plain grey. People see right through me, although I shine quite bright. Sparkling in the sunshine, hiding late at night. Some say I’m well rounded i’d like to think so too. But this misty little mess, Can’t […]
The Big Dipper
Dangles above the coastline Where countless stars and waves Welcome me home. One of these stars Is extremely rare Having immigrated From a Dwarf Galaxy Far, far away… All of the waves come From foreign lands Much closer to home.
Sequoia Park
Through Shirley’s eyes the trees displayed Their beauty as the children played And each time that we went anew She’d ask if once again they grew Through Shirley’s ears they spoke to her As if her senses merged with theirs The trees still shelter us from rain When on this day we came again The […]
