Early Morning

A symphony of birdsong

wakes the sun.

She rises majestically,

chases the shadows

and bathes everything in gold,

as a cool breeze

sweeps through the trees

and makes the leaves clap for joy!

Our Huskies

Upon first light
I free the huskies
With thunderous hooves
they race side by side
Turning with synchronicity
they check the perimeter

They rarely bark
except to talk
in excitement or play
and with authority

They howl like wolves
at Wheel of Fortune
They circle and bump
and rise up on hind legs
wrestling like ferocious bears

They grab ruff
 and pull and shake
looking and sounding
like a death dance

They chase and tag
spurting forth with fuel injection
tuck tail and zag
with precision avoidance

They carry themselves
with beauty and elegance
exuding royalty
With Leo, our lion
holding court

Spring Signs

The mesquite trees are budding out
The wildflowers line the house
The birds have been talking
I heard them whispering of spring
The sky spreads its brilliant blue bonnet
with angel-wing clouds
The sun warms the cats curled in a beam
on the bed
The March lion has laid down its head
and the lamb is now nestled in our valley
at the feet of our mountain
Soon the baby quail will bounce out of their nests
as the steadfast sentry perches
ready to call them home

A whisper of a kiss
on the wings of a dream
left me breathless
waiting for your return
and the promise of a
real kiss

Release

Pink and blue globes
Released with full hearts
Ascending slowly at first
Into the pure blue sky
Ribbon tails fluttering behind
Lifting our grief
As they float ever higher
They begin to race
And bump together joyously
Like children playing
A lightness envelopes
Peace alights
Upon us

Love is:

Love is:
the privilege
to carry the seed of life
for 38 weeks
imagining his face
feeling his movements
his hiccups
his kicks
hearing his heartbeat
seeing evidence of his growth
in the expansion of
your middle
Love is:
the excitement
of preparing his place
his crib
his blanket
his clothes
Love is:
the anticipation
of his arrival
his introduction
to his brothers
and sister
Love is:
bestowing him
with Papa's name
to carry his memory
Love is:
the pain
of laying to rest
that child
that arrived without breath
Love is:
the strength
to go on
to live past
the empty space
he left behind
Love is:
the loving arms
and prayers
and thoughts
of friends
and loved ones
who hold you up

Spring Planting

Seeds light as dust

Lifted on a whisper of wind

Carried like chaff

Worth more than gold

Heavy with promise
of Hummingbird visits
Riotous wildflowers
Teased from the soil
Lifted with sunshine
Happy surprise

Unbidden Grief

Unexpected Grief descends upon us
In the absence of a hearbeat
It clouds our days in automatic movements.
Unrelenting Grief lies heavy on the

continuously beating hearts
of those of us trying to survive the Pain of it
Tears sneak into our conversations
and spill out at inopportune times
when our hearts begin to thaw-
trying to recover from the unforgettable
Renting our hearts to tatters again
with the unbidden images
of a tiny grave
ringed with flowers, family, friends
sobbing for all that is lost
with that Precious, tiny Life

Lost and Found Memory

A leftover red tube sock
found at the bottom
of the laundry hamper
Smells of sadness
and anger
of things said
and left unsaid
Lost without its match
Or chance of
reconciliation

Sleep

Laying down these bones
to sleep
Seeking warmth beneath
flannel sheets
A groan escapes
the aches and pains
At day's end
awaiting sleep
Morning wakes
with faithful light
Rise and stretch
fill the day
Then meet the night

Forgotten

A leaning, sinking headstone
Standing four foot tall
Old and weather beaten
No name left at all
No one left to tend it
No one left to care
No one to remember
Who was buried there

Kharma (No Laughing Matter)

Making my way
around school hallways
I came face-to-face
with a smallish boy
"YOU SUCK!"
flew out of his mouth
and smacked me
right in the heart.
My only crime?
I wore thick glasses.
Years later...
Kharma took his legs.
Now he knows
how it hurt.

A Shared Shelter

A circle of women
Huddled in the basement
Shivering in the dampness
Of a Tornado Warning

Fat-fluffed Robin
Blown into the window well
Huddled against the windowpane
Shivering in the driving rain

All waiting out the storm

Butterfly Wings

Bright red geraniums
In the sun room
Rescued from a 27 degree
New York night
Dropped 2 red petals
On the carpet
Clutched in a 2 year-old's fist
Next morning
A pot of butterfly wings
In a small child's imagination

The Memory of Fire (AKA: The Monument Fire, Father’s Day 2011)

It dances along
The ridges of dreams
Rings the edges
Of dinner plates
Scorches throats of conversation
It hides in summer’s
Long-term memory
And pops out
In the weatherman’s
Dry, high fire warning
It is still fueled
By winds of worry
It’s devastation
Still smolders
In the ashes
Of hearts

My Brother's Birdfeeder

A new cedar birdfeeder
made with love
filled with songbird feed
to attract the higher echelon of birds
Breakfast on the porch
hoping to glimpse
their glory
Only to be met with
their shyness
peeking from the opposite side

A Brother's Love

Seventeen years
Separate our births
A twenty year lapse
And 900 traveled miles
Across the desert
Reunited us
Brother in my Father's role
Stepped back into
My brother's role
Showered with gifts
Of his hands
Working with wood
Resurrecting my little
Rocking chair
And family stories
Entertaining and filling me
With treasured tales
Holding my brother's love
Close to heart

Listening to the Dawn

Awake before
the house begins to stir
I let the dogs out
to chase the rabbits
and claim their yard
I listen as the
quail call to
neighboring coveys
shouting their joy
for the new day
a myriad of birdsong
sings a greeting
I listen
as the dawn
warms the mountains
and my soul

Cat Under Cover

Cat under cover
Clawing at wiggling toes
Tail puffed up
Ready to play
Eyes wide
Mouth open
Pouncing on their prey

Skinny Dip

A soft wind
licks the drips
and the moon
kisses our dewy skin
liberating us
from our warm-bath
skinny dip
under the twinkling stars