(un)touched

untouched, we know not we are a separate being

touched, we learn our parts and limitations

untouched, we feel no attachment to any other 

touched, we learn empathy and understanding

untouched, we have no investment in compassion

old hands

chipped, sparkly polish

makes arthritic fingertips

at least fun to see

intrigue

intrigued enough to read past midnight

something i wrote more than a decade ago

a mystery, layer upon layer

so convoluted i cannot guess the end

and it is the end that is missing

as i never finished it - arghhh

mist whispers

 mist whispers

to each blade of grass

as it lifts

from their caress

layered against what’s real

layer on layer

tee, shirt, sweater, jacket

yet chill wind penetrates all

stabbing shivers through my being

inviting me to imprison myself

in warmed shelter rather

than experience Ma’s awe

another way we humans

have barricaded ourselves

against Nature

hushed time, listening

hushed time, listening

anguished for the tale

of love stretched beyond

limits and parting of one

now again two                   

friends with my computer

rid myself of an app

it took hours of words with it

but worth the loss

to able to deal directly

oh, to be easy friends

with my ‘puter!

she raced down the path

 she raced down the path

at the edge of the wood

cleared the gate to the lower field

and was gone from my sight

i watched, hoping and afraid,

to see what pursued her

moments later, she raced

back up the path

i blinked, but nothing followed

minutes later, here she came

four slender legs

running full tilt down

and then back up

and yet a while, she sauntered

into the yard and stood

peering out over the valley

then took off, as fast as she could scamper down into the low field

and later, once again back up

i sat back, chuckling

at the doe’s exuberance

also hoping she could bring

an early spring

toll

fear takes such toll

making me huddle

rather than stand erect

restricting my limbs

when i should reach out

keeping me muffled

when, for once, i should speak

perhaps i should wait

until what is dreaded

touches me

instead of cowering

in anticipation

non-eqilibrium

funny how frightening

non-equilibrium engenders me

leaning toward walls

with each step

bumping into walls

to keep from falling

walking along

and suddenly veering

standing stock still

knowing i need to be down

but refusing to collapse

having already broken a rib

falling hard

even funnier

that it’s been my mind

that’s defined me all my life

and now my head

that’s going to kill me

doe in yard

so still, i missed her

twenty feet from me

legs tucked under

facing east, waiting

as i, for the morning

sun to grace and warm us

birds in flight

 stubby little bodies

dark against the misted sky

wings laboring from each shoulder

while gulls glide behind, then pass them

sharp-beaked and slender

parting more than fighting

the dense air with long wings

lifting gracefully at elbow

                        mjNordgren  1/18/2023  Blue House

tangled roots

 untangle the roots

of the blackberry vines

and find interminable

inter-relationships

too many to allow

for annihilation

untangle the roots

of human civilization

and find it is the inter-relationships

that lend us strength

against annihilation

taken but unsaved

albums of photos of the children

grinning, growing, going their own way

even a few of the grands posing

for the camera

even when it’s out of film

but electronic has taken over

and images are piled in my phone

and moldering in my computer

while, digitally ignorant,

i’ve no idea how to organize or save

catabatic wind

 as earth rotates and sun ‘sets’

night cools mountain-tops

slopes chill the air above their ice

thin molecules huddle, dense

heavier and heavier until, catabatic

they gain speed and strength

from gravity and plunge down

disturbing precarious layers

of snow, triggering avalanche

when white is all you see

 when white is all you see

it could be purity

or snow

or fog

or simply that you’re lost

within yourself

without the darkness

that terrifies

it could be

time to reflect

on what matters best

to pledge to orient

to something larger than yourself

that may know more

poem only template (Copy) (Copy)

awesome chandelier

 wondering why i didn’t buy

the Venetian glass chandelier

that so gave me awe and raw desire

first, with failing ears,

i did not hear the offer to include

my long-stemmed glasses free

second, i could not get three

life-long concern always to treat

my three kids as close to equally

as humanly possible, how could i

have only one such treasure

in my home that might cause hurt

between them? their love for each other

is more valuable to me than all

the ‘boughten’ things I could

ever purchase

Sistine

 the Sistine chapel is lined with pews

overwhelmed, we sit

struggling to breathe

look down to pray for strength

to lift our heads to gape, to scan

to try to take in rich colors, human

forms, human motives and actions

divine presence watching with dismay

our petty hubris, undeserving

of the Lord of all life’s

reaching out

dream as warning?

 dream scenes unsettle

so haunt our awakening

fearful, we wonder