relieved

the pain did not disappear

but finding out what was wrong

and learning that it will not

devour her lifespan

is something to be endured

and conquered by time

and courage

relief so blessed by daughter

and her mother

pity has run its course

i, moved by pity

wanting to help

but dashed again into reality

of her odd world of causes

for which she is inadequate

but sees herself as lone

person of empathy

parading her good

if ineffective deeds

while seeing not the cost

to those moved to help her

i fear pity has run its course

and is giving way to disgust

perhaps pi knows

mathematicians say

reality is, finally, an equation

but perhaps the ancients

knew better to designate

existence as never-ending

re-circling cycles

light following darkness

season following season

cycling into year after old/new

year generation succeeding generation

until one, the individual, is part

of an extended whole far larger

than himself

perhaps there is an equation

to portray that

hangry

hungry, tired, angry with the world

worn to the point of ‘just stop’

in love, we let them just stop

give them time to gather

their strength, their patience

their ability to give again

we give them time and space

to recover the resources they have

overspent in our behalf

joy at table

lunch and laughter with

favorite friends

brought together by writing

drifting apart to our separate

needs but remaining true

to our belief in each other

second sleep

second sleep again

deep and satisfying

but after hours-long

gap in the middle of the night

i learn to use the time

in reading, solving sudoku

but i cannot create

so i’d prefer to sleep through

if that can be arranged, please

dis-covering dawn

ribbons of fire-orange slither

between blue-black clouds

insistent upon announcing

life’s blanketed dawn

sad to warn

cheated when least expecting

so loved the Rossetto glassworks

in Venice we visited in December

but only five of the six

glasses i ordered came in the box

they refuse to admit error

say six were confirmed

though they do not state

how they know

adamant

end of story

so now all i can do is warn others

do see their marvelous factory

and store, but whatever you buy

take with you

it was simply understood

greed may have been

good then, but not

the admitting of it

respect for your elders then

required that you use

their title – Mr., Mrs., Miss

not Ms unless you were from

the South and then

you spelled it Miz

anyone who swore aloud

shocked, and was shunned

but our black and white sensibilities

denied brown, yellow and red

the possibility of full personhood

it was simply understood

so-called adults

hero worship and childishness

scare me blind

as they seem to be

personally, i prefer dealing

adult to adult, realistic, respectful

or adult to a child

less than four feet tall

and having experienced life

for less than two decades

not whiny and dependent

or the ones who look down

on everyone but never

grew up

dashing from red-orange

doe dashing down my hill

moments later, a large, red

dog-like creature, orange-red

with broad face and shoulders

and long moments later

a second orange-red creature

as dog-like as the first

of unrecognized breed

and unfamiliar color

a pair of dogs in the neighborhood

that i do not know?

wild creatures that i’ve never heard of?

my only hope is that the doe

is swift and finds shelter

moments with JPM

memories and gratitude

fill me in her presence

as she remembers my storyline

from nearly a decade before

and waves away my thanks

for teaching how to lead

a writing group

blue promise

blue promise

of the twisting earth

as it gives rise to the sun

and the light of day

imitation flattery

snow piles remain from roof-fall

or where the shadows of pine

denied sun’s warming

but on our slope of foothills

of the coastal range

many piles stand as rugged models

of the low mountains themselves

scar price

‘whatever doesn’t kill you

makes you stronger’

scars being tougher

and less flexible than skin

weather identity theft

flat, gray sky

dripping snow-rain

melting tufts in white yard

exposing greenish grass

that hasn’t seen sunlight in weeks

unsure whether winter or spring

engaging sould and body

music engages soul and body

connecting by rhythm

and movement

with non-self

bringing something and many

someones i would never

know otherwise

within what i feel

and who i am

momentary stillness

wind whips frenzied pines

allegro to presto gusts

clang windchimes beyond melody

twist the light-catcher to flashes

then momentary stillness

as the wind catches his breath

promised re-delivery

blue-purple-gray sky delivering

of a multitude of tiny snowflakes

straight down

so many, they form a veil

obliterating my lower field

and only close neighbor

dusting the finally-unladen boughs

of evergreens with first hints again

of the weight of white

bird after bird seeking refuge

at the feeder bowl

i’ll need to fill it yet again soon

languid dawn

the blue-white of morning

snow draping evergreen

brittle-stocked queen anne’s lace

woodpile beside the barn

stubbled slope of hill

neighbor’s distant roof

quiet, i watch the eerie blue

diffuse to nearer white

as the sunrise stretches

toward a languid dawn