Thursday, June 30, 2011

Windfarm

Familiar wheat robed hills 
sprout a starship hatchery -
giant white three-winged thistle seeds
turn sparking turbines
in jet fuselage sized housings
atop stems the diameter 
of old redwoods.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Top to Bottom

The two lane runs several miles
in long descending sweeps,
esses waltzing down through 
a gully system between green hills 
to a long gray steel bridge
(there used to be a ferry here)
across the great Snake 
in the belly of the Palouse.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Palouse Abstract

Green knee high wheat 
neon yellow rape bloom -
the interplay of slopes
and tractor turning radius
delineates outlines on 
the canvas of these hills.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Red tailed hawk
lifts with slow beats
toward the honey locusts
marging the hay field
talons trailing 
a wing-long snake.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Purple gorgeted Calliope Hummingbird
hovers under a limber arm of bleeding heart
head back, beak vertical, sipping
from the pendulous pink blossom.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Streamside beneath the waving willow
a flock of white farm geese browse
in a pasture washed with buttercups 
and snowed over with daisies.


Friday, June 24, 2011

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Muggy heat, I’m drooping 
like false bamboo leaves
the ten year old left wilting
on the back steps.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

“Meewww...nyak, nyak, nyak, nyak!”
Starlings laughing at their own jokes.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

First Morning of Summer Break

Sun angles in the east dining room window onto
dark purple lilacs raided from an old farmstead
steam curls up from a white mug.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Half an hour from home
I stuff my pillow against the truck window
pull a stocking cap over my eyes
and put sleep music on my iPod.
But the road is in my bones
every curve and turn, every hill
dreamily I know just where we are.


Sunday, June 19, 2011

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Rolling wheat fields of the Palouse
chartreuse, apple, olive, sage -
running out of words for green!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Bluebird flies to the faded 
red auger arm attached
to the old blue Ford tractor
shakes out his feathers and 
chup, chup, chups at me.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Weeding Wisdom From a Ten Year Old

“Yes,” I say, “we are all going to work
in the garden this morning.” 
He slouches out and flops down in the dirt.
Half an hour of epic dandelion roots
("Are they edible? We should try them!") and 
“WOW!” sized earthworms later he pipes up,
“Working in the garden is more fun
when you have more people working together- 
it’s less like work and more like 
just doing something with your family!”

Sunday, June 12, 2011

"You look cute today," she says.
I'm dressed the same as usual
but I see she's done her hair
and put on a new tee shirt.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Peaches

Cut the bag off the frozen slab
leave it angled in a bowl
half an hour, carve off a chunk - 
last summer’s sunshine melting
sweet tart in your watering mouth.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Wheaty homemade raisin bread
toasted crisp crumbly tender
dripping melted butter and 
sweet gooey brown Nutella.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Greenhouse Meditation

Standing at the makeshift 
counter of loose gray cedar boards
pressing flat pointy zinnia seeds 
a quarter inch into damp potting mix, 
the longhaired browny black cat 
purrs round my ankles.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Monday, June 6, 2011

Back screen door slams,
husband in white legs and loafers 
takes his book and a pillow from the sofa
to the green Adirondack chair.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Banking, slipping
like a kestrel on the wind
the yellow crop duster
comes around again.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Under leaden overcast and fine rain
freshly unfurled aspen leaves 
brightly green they seem
to radiate yesterday’s sunlight.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Light breeze - 
a congregation of quaking aspen
whispering their prayers.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Some days
Even in the stillness of the garden
Peace is a place
I must fight my way toward.