flatten that notion

privileged to watch the sun wander

across the horizon, going south

for the winter and north in spring

as well as overhead to mark the day

but i understand the concept

of earth wobble to crate the seasons

i twist my left fist toward my right

to grasp earth rotating on its axis

mental pictures help comprehend

when bare sight tells me the earth is flat

cq no longer reluctant

california quail no longer reluctant

to flutter up to feeding bowl

and large enough to not worry

about competition as she

fills it with her bulk and warns

off by the frantic flutter of her

question mark headpiece

sign of the disenchanted

they bought a lemon

believing money equals

wealth so mouths pucker

my zebras

six little guys

busy chirping, although not melodious

flitting about in their multi-story cage

tearing up the newspaper floor liner

stuffing their straw nest

pulling down strands i hang at the top

scolding me when i am late

with fresh water and finch food

and cuttlebone treats

choose not to participate

unaware, we miss the snake slithering

away from under our feet

the cougar peering down

from hillock above our heads

doe naked in the middle of the field

but so still we do not notice

skunk cabbage gives our noses warning

but how many lovely flowers blossom

without our ever seeing them

there is so much more to our world

than we quiet ourselves to realize

let alone become a part of

giggles and guffaws

 the giggles and guffaws

of our gang of four

contribute abundantly

to the noise in The Meating Place

but as the infant in her buggy

still sleeps, we continue to tell

tales and laugh with the joy

only precious friends can give                      

generosity leads

 generosity is a leading trait

of those around me

with never-ending awe

i hear our Writers in the Grove

listen to and support each other

i watch church members go

to do for others what needs

to be done but would never

be demanded or even asked

and family surrounds me

with priceless gifts of love

and forgiveness                            

watching dark clouds gather

  the poem reached within me

describing a tree’s cognizance

of painful damage of storm and fire

rooted as it was, unable to run away

shuddering now in expectant fear

watching dark clouds gather – thunderstorm?

or fire?                                      

kiss the ground

 watched “Kiss the Ground”

awed by the simplicity of the answer

yet again, we need to let go

of our arrogance, thinking

we know best when we have in fact

only a glimmering

let the earth do what it has done best

for millennia without our interference

live with our world as part of the whole

rather than would-be conquerors              

shorts and sandals await

 my sandals waiting

as spring makes up its mind

to stay above fifty degrees

my shorts will continue waiting

until i make up my mind

to take off those last fifty pounds               

reader’s comment

 Reader's comment on May mjNewsletter:

Wow! Amazing your ability to capture so many elements of human experience in your monthly newsletters. Joy, love, companionship, longing, heartache, ageing, life, death, deep appreciation of nature, awe and sometimes puzzlement over human behavior and Divine creative design. This newsletter includes them all. So much to contemplate ... a feast for mind, heart, spirit, and soul!

Thank you,

S                                  

awkward spring

  a few days of sun

warm enough to stay outdoors

to replant seedlings and sprinkle

seeds over disturbed slopes

in hopes of roots to hold the hills

and grace with flowers

but this morning heavy dew

and promise of rain

even hint of scattered thunder

spring’s awkward finding balance                                  

fat colors

 something more than the pale purple

dense cloudy sky

something about the color of earth

objects themselves

trees, grass—fattened

thicker as though osmosis

had already taken on water

and changed their reflective surface

even before the clouds had dropped

their rain

flickering aftermath

 flickering pale patch of light

barely alive on my bedroom wall

enough to cause me to rise to look

out across the valley floor a mile

or more at brilliant light of ambulance

and unsynchronized blue and red

flashes of six emergency vehicles

another accident on the curve

of country road that has totaled

many cars including my own

when a rusted sedan took that bend

in the middle of the road

coming toward me

long drive to dinner

 touched with laughter

party of five extended family

and loved friend

elegant meal overlooking

misted ocean

well worth the hour and a half

drive to the coast

warm day finally

a warm day, finally

even my light sweater shed

as we walked by the little shops

in old town McMinnville

delighting that spring gives

promise that hard winter

is at last letting go

deer and dear humans

can deer have had thousands

upon thousands of generations

without a philosopher among them?

has it been the size of the brain

or acceptance of culture that what

is good enough for father

is and should be

good enough for son?

or fatalism in religion

allowance that all is pre-determined

and useless to struggle against?

or combinations of all the above

that styme the lone maverick

when he tries to question?

dear human beings have not

been advancing so well recently

seeming satisfied to blame, victimize

and hate                          

tackle tall tufts

the weeds and grass

grow gleefully

in the rain

gyrate in gusts of wind

while my mower

mummifies in the shed

awaiting a day of sun

to tackle tall tufts

choking, coughing, conquered

doe watching sunrise with me

doe watching sunrise with me

elder doe watching sunrise with me

she shuffled into the yard, sat heavily

then curled and sank to lie, head up

looking east over the valley floor

content to keep vigil on the pale

gold seeping between purple blue

clouds, resting

welcome in as near sanctuary

as i can afford her

to her bedside

he moved quickly with feet

practiced in propelling

his wheelchair

he’d heard his wife’s moaning

growing increasingly agitated

and hurried to her bedside

to comfort and assure her

though she knew him not

--or did she? at that stage

near the end of life, how can

one be sure? if there was a chance

of her knowing his love

he wanted to be there with

gentle words and touch