No poems of late 

Been busy chasing the sun
That moves across the garden
Shadows stretching
Beyond the birdbath
Into the tangle of grapevine, camellia
Jasmine and artichoke
A sweet heat
Coming to terms with the situation
Of soil that can't
Break free of clay

Ivy waves, weaves
Past wispy weeds that choke
And reach for the cracks that are
Colonized by orange poppies
These that seek the sanctuary
Of the California dream
Realized -- yet, out of reach
Both of reason
And the sun's ability
To provide warmth
Lasting past the
5 o'clock cocktail hour