i cannot kiss it better for her

diabetes is a sneak fighter, attacking all systems

forgiving no mistakes, punishing all rebellion

damaging limbs, eyes, kidneys for every non-compliance

demanding daily obsequience and robbing future health

dream on

once upon a time

a young woman clung to the dream

of a house on a hill overlooking mountains

and surrounded by loving children and grandchildren

she had no idea how beautifully that dream would be fulfilled

but she is grateful

extensive foundation

shoulders drooping in fatigue

my daughter leans against the wall

but a small smile brightens her eyes

as her husband talks of the wedding

party now off to all their own corners

of the nation

their son and now daughter-in-law

as well as -in-love back in new york

they realize gratefully that the reception

banquet hall had been filled with people

who will support and cherish

the newlyweds for the rest

of their lives

   mjNordgren 6/26/2022 blue house, lincoln city

joyous wedding

 deep in Portland’s Rhododendron Gardens, in a clear space overlooking

ducks and Canada geese flutter-stepping to launch from still lake

a simple frame decorated with old roses, crème-white and dusty pink

witty friend officiates joyous union of grandson

and his brilliant, beautiful wife-to-be

two devoted to each other through Pomona College

and Columbia Law School

celebration supper of salmon and slides of the couple growing up

in loving families and among loyal friends

who travelled from all over this country and Europe

to be with them in their commitment to each other

and i, proud grandma, privileged to attend

                        mjNordgren  6/25/2022  Portland

what a day!

 grandson, grown up a thousand

miles away, now a high school graduate

come for his cousin’s wedding

so i get to spend a day of joy

with daughter-in-law, much-missed son

and D exploring Powell’s Books

and dining on the Washington side

of the Columbia River at Beaches

with Voo-Doo donuts for dessert

what a day!

two-and-a-half hour party

 prime time family celebration

two generations only; the next is busy

with their own lives

but we find solace in each other

venting, informing, telling tales on each other

and on ourselves

admitting our vulnerability in laughter

but knowing we are heard

remark this gift

remark this gift

haiku

 contemplative rain

dictating pause and reflect

gifting perspective

layered sunrise

thunderous blue cloudbank wedged upward by pink-purples

a tier of magenta and another of orange-gold

each layer succeeded by brighter rose-golds infused

with incipient sunlight,startling with promise

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from my foothill of the Coastal Range with Mt. Hood just awakening.

not yet

not yet

frightened? yes, a little

all my life i’ve been independent

but now the vertigo threatens; the pandemic limits

the grass grows to my waist; cobwebs drape from high ceilings

over six months i’ve grown old

but not old enough to give in

high impact concert

high impact concert

Bells of the Cascades

intense individual musicians side by side, playing only

their own few notes as though D through F# on the piano

but creating a musical whole, ensemble

rapid runs, trills, intricate rhythms, varying techniques requiring skill

practiced change from mallet to ring to damping sound on padded table

to switching to chime rung or bowed

dedicated to difficult, complex, ethereal or passionate expression

rapt audience watching, listening

rising to their feet to acknowledge these incredible players made one

by genius young director Matthew Compton

touch

haikus

we need to touch, hand

on shoulder, not to possess

but to say i care

to touch is to connect

to feel, to know a presence

beyond my own world

a gentle, resting touch

to share experience

greater than each self

the bond of touch

the bond of touch

after seeing a black and white photo by William Wood

hair tumbling to her waist she sits straight-backed but not resisting

his hand gathering that silken hair to rest on her shoulder

expressing hope, care and tenderness in his touch

awakening in youth

what will bond and succor each

through pains and triumphs

of human life

                                    mjNordgren 5/31/2022  N

hate, too

     haiku

pain and fear encage

blinding panoramic views

of the joy of life

                        mjNordgren  5/29/2022  N

fear so deep

behind the mantra: “guns don’t kill people; people kill people”

must lie so deep a fear, so primal a distrust

a paranoia so terrifying that, to it, we willingly

sacrifice out children

slaughter of innocents

haiku

kindergarten child

drills for gun rampage lockdown

dad hugs tight good-bye

attention, please

windchimes tinkle in a gentle stirring of air

at the edge of the pine forest holding its breath to adore

the brightening golden intensity of sunrise

celebratory artist interviews

(with thanks to Emily, Margarita and Suba)

interviews of local artists by students learning marketing and advocacy of the arts celebrated in an evening of discussion and recorded tapes

well presented with dark background so each artist,

responding to unseen interviewer, is seen naturally

rather than embarrassed by the camera

each is led to speak of concepts vital to an artist’s being

creativity, nourishment for the soul, connection to the richest of life

and the need to reach to share

wandering thoughts then edited and presented as moments

of hard-gained wisdom and joy

a privilege to be a participant

floral personae

            haiku

street gang of zinnias

between choirs of calla lilies

violets cower

upright joy

music heals her soul, frees her creativity, showers her with joy

so, being without her piano for five months wore into her being

imagine then her excitement awaiting the delivery of her niece’s

loaned upright and exuberance when it arrived to fit against the angled wall

of her new, happy home

Alisa joyous to see Robyn’s piano arriving

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i love you today

pacific

pacific shore calm or ravaged

wispy white clouds or thunderous gray

rain-drenched or enveloped in fog

waves gliding in atop each other or pounding in masculine anger

ocean shore renews and expands a primal rhythm within me

synchronizes my soul with the universe