Side Effects of Soup

Chopped carrots and celery

tossed into the bubbling pot

leave the counter bright strewn 

with yellow and orange confetti,

tops and tails for compost.

Crone Tree

Shriveled trunk and branches

disappear against dark, wet forest

leaving small red apples 

suspended in midair.

Post Chickenpoxalypse

The school bus flashes to a stop.

“Well,” he grumps, 

“This should be fun.”

and slouches across the road

under his red backpack.

Another Day

I’m the filling in a cozy blanket sandwich,

ruthless Morning peels back the layers

and eats me plain.

November Morning

Smell of damp earth and coming rain
smell of drifting wood smoke.

Trickle Creek

Upstream a dribbling fall flowing 
beneath a green-mossed log, 
a rocky gurgle chattering beside me,
the shoooshing spill below the trail --
how many voices between 
mountain top and sea?

Cocoon Day

Grey rain veils obscure the valley
damp cold creeps in at house corners
crawls through old single panes.
Behind the iron door of it’s workshop
the blazing fire cries defiance  
“Pffft-snut-tii-tippt-pnuff--SNAP!”

Heater Time

First blowy, cloudy fall day
fingers chilled on keyboard.
Push, wiggle, wiggle -- 
plug firmly seated in socket. Check.
Orange glowy Power light. Check. 
Twist -- dial slides round a quarter turn.
Now, wait for it....yes!
Smell of warm dust!
“Tounk” thermostat switches off,
“tic, tic, tic” of momentary cooling,
“tounk” thermostat switches on.
Everything is a cycle.

Alpine Strawberries After Breakfast

Hunkering in the garden 
sorting through dewy foliage 
lifting red half-a-bite gems 
to my dazzled tongue. 
One kitten climbs my back 
sits between my shoulder blades 
purring in my ear, batting my pony tail,
another stalks the berry seeking hand
and pounces wildly on wet fingers.

Breeze Through Ponderosas

Whauuuuu-huuuush-auuuuuuuuh...
Rush of Earth’s breath 
through her pine honeyed lungs.

Meditating With Zeeba

Kneeling on my zafu,
the cat who was terrified of us
creeps between my knees 
curls himself into a dozy circle.

At the Bottom of a Windowsill Jelly Jar

Vacant beetle carapace faded from
sepia and burnt sienna black
to golden burnt and raw sienna brown 
head gone, one rear leg at odd angles.

Listen Longer

Draw a straight line in the dark 
from this window out past 
the neighbor’s tinny radio
up the hill into the pines
where the great horned owl calls
“WHO-TO-DO...WHO-WHO” 
still further out, a muted reply
“Who-to-do...who-who-who.”

Mindful Hydration

From prayer position, breathing deep
my hands arc slowly into outstretched
upturned bowls pausing to receive,
slowly release the lung stretching breath
slowly arc through the hands returning.
When my hands touch I notice
wrinkled finger tips, tight dry palms.
The old cobalt blue bottle is warm 
against my lips, the sun sweetened water 
glurp glurp glurps onto my tongue and
slides down, slides down, slides down.
I replace the cork, reposition my feet
right by that knothole
left three boards over,
watch out for that splinter,
bend the knees.
Now.  Begin again. 

This Way Then That Way

The twitch of the cat’s tail,

the tilt of the nuthatch’s head.

Motivated

A horse blowing, somewhere out of sight,

thub-thubity, thub-thubity of hooves

then dust and snapping twigs. A white mare

skitters through the trees and down the bank,

clatters splash-splash-splash across the ford,

gallops thub-thubity-thub-thubity

up the slope to the barn and neighs

like a steam engine coming into the station,

stands chewing, long stalk of hay dangling.

Looking Up From a Book

Idling in the garden swing I try

to twist my mind round Existentialism. 

Down near the creek a tawny doe grazes

between daises and stalks of yellow yarrow,

swish swish-swishing  her white tail.

Found Design

Long shampooed-out hairs

stuck to the shower wall tiles

in parallel curves like woodgrain

or topo lines on a map.

Dinner Time Sky

Flat bottomed clouds 

with mounded tops

like Grandma’s drop biscuits 

on a blue plate.

There is a New Kid at Our House

He looks just like the other eleven year old,

the one that lived here last week,

but instead of whining about being bored

this kid pesters me for paying yard work.

He has already weeded the corner garden bed

taken up a career in invasive mint abatement

washed all the main floor windows

and cleared fallen twigs from the south yard.

So, today we dragged out the red gas mower

and commenced power tool training.

No sandals, put on your boots!

Gas goes here, check oil there, 

set the choke like this.

Hold down the red bar, 

grab the black tee handle

and...

PULL! ... PULL! ...PULL!

OK, let me pull.

Pu...pu...PULL!  Brrraaaahhhhhhhhh!

The vibrations runs up both of our arms,

mine around him from behind,

I try not to step on his heels

as we stumble along together

him learning, me relearning,

to operate this growling, grass eating beast.

It’s really too heavy for him to push

but using the power drive to the wheels

makes it hard for him to control.

Back and forth and around in the heat

(thank goodness for the overcast!)

Once I do the fiddly bits you get 

in a country yard, 

odd shapes around woodpiles, 

parked snowmachines

flower beds and a huge trampoline,

he practices turning corners, 

emptying the grass bag

and overlapping swaths 

in the central rectangle.

Then, that’s enough. We quit.

Neither of us want to tackle the bits 

around the garden and back of the house.

We’ll leave the rest for the grown men.

I don’t want to discourage the new kid

but I’m thinking 

next summer will be soon enough

for him to try mastering the mower.

We’ll find other work for Mr. Motivated.  

It’s not like we are running out 

of weeds to pull!

Looking Up

Winding river of blue sky

flows between green banks

of elder boughs and lilac leaves.

Observing the Observer

White breasted nuthatch on the window screen

it’s creamy underbelly inches from my face;

inside my head sister natures clash -

“Scientific opportunity!” Martha insists,

“Note the brown speckling around the vent

not visible when the specimen is observed 

foraging for insects on it’s native pine.”

“Oh, hush!” Mary cries, breathless  in wonder

at the fearless nearness of a small wild soul.

The nuthatch tilts it’s head and peers at me

peers at the bug on my side of the wire.

Spent Petunia

Violet fabric of wilted blossom

drapes like yesterday’s dishrag

across it’s vibrant magenta neighbor.

Ambushed Reader

Bombarding rain woke me in the night

but sun has dried the Adirondack chair

(just a few drops left between seat boards)

and I settle with my mug of tea and book 

sip, read, read, sip, turn the page, sip,read

PLOP on my forehead!

PLOP on my hair!

Stragglers, covering the storms retreat,

were lurking in the lilac leaves!

One Sound

Fllurring of bird wings

rises into the rumble of thunder -

I cannot tell where they meet.

Big Mango

Yellow gold hunks piled 

on a small cobalt plate

top slice nearly sliding off -

slide that sweet tart custardiness 

across my tongue!

Brubb-ub-ub-drubb

Office chair wheels 

across rough floorboards

in the room above.

June Afternoon

Rich brown smears of summer warm Valrhona

imbedded in the whorls of my fingers.

Green Grass Sea

Stippled white caps,

every green blade

sun touched at arc top.

Fleeting Impression

Bloom laden shrub rose

resolves into an abandoned red pickup 

behind a scruffy alder.

Budding Iris

Amethyst tipped scepter

jeweled with rain crystals.

Wildyard

Purple iris falls 

floating on a waist deep

sea of grass blades.

Sampler

Northern flicker’s 

Churk-churk-chirk-churk-churk!

Black headed grosbeak’s 

Whoop-de-whoo-de-do-de-who 

brightly embroidered over warp and woof 

of crickets and breeze-in-pines.

Cameo

She stands sideways at the window

sunlight radiating through the fine

fringe end of her one long braid. 

Crossing Paths With Coyote

Her lope halts in the trail

each of us surprised and peering

I at her dark sided coat

she at my black umbrella.

Stalking a Hidden Singer

Reach for wordlessness

be harmless as a wild thing

open focus, include the rushing stream

the dancing green stalks

top-laden with grass seeds

feel sky above

feel through boot sole to earth beneath

seek the bird, yet seek all, seek nothing

scan the pine with binoculars but stand easy

listen purposefully but loosely

a few steps closer

there is the first glimpse -

a small silhouette 

winging off into the forest

unidentified

taking up again it’s wordless trills.

So much to learn

about oneness and letting go.

Furnishing

The violet green swallow wings away

from the nest box on the utility pole

alarmed, I observe a tatter-edged feather

longer than the residents beak to tail

hanging half out the round entrance.

Intruder?  Nestlings under attack?

The feather jerks, twists vertical

upside down, backward, forward --

it appears the newly weds have bought

a thrifted couch too big for their parlor!

Light Framing

A 4"x 8" beam of freshly risen sunlight

slants from slightly parted curtains

smoke from morning fire building

swirling into translucent woodgrain.

Late Frost

Blackened leaves of false bamboo

dangle limply on their stalks

like gentlemen’s silk pocket squares

hung by their corners to dry.

6:30 AM

Ridgetop radiance blossoms into a new day.

Wild Apple Tree in Spring

Hunched old Granny Apple 

has been knitting a new green shawl,

switching needles she embroiders

blossoms in amaranth and rose.

Downpour

Fat rain drops at terminal velocity

slam into my sixty mile per hour windshield

shattering to thumbprints of aqueous lace.

Love Is

Sometimes love looks like a middle aged 

guy in boxers doing dishes by hand

in a cold kitchen at 5:30 AM.

Teeth of Night

Pine trees along the ridge

jagged against darkening blue 

like a vintage crosscut saw

mounted over the woodshed door.

Runoff

The brown creek

snow fed, rain swollen 

gallops into the pasture

tossing it’s white mane

races round the bend

under the footbridge

away.

Honey Dew?

I’m paused out in the front yard 

verbally running over my chores: 

“Bird feeders filled

cat food out

compost out

firewood in...”

Husband on his way from truck to shop calls, 

“What’s that?”

“Nothing - just going over my checklist.”

“OK.  I was just checking to see 

if it was a Chuck list!”

American Goldfinch

Dim drizzley dawn,

under the bird feeder

two zots of yellow.

Nest Building

Pygmy nuthatch heaves

off the pine forest floor

beak-burdened with something

half it’s own length and 

stutter flies - rapid wings,

glide, stall, rapid wings -

to the hollow aspen knot.

Blue Heeler

The landlord’s loose bitch

dashes snarling

bouncing on rigid legs,

I grip the furled umbrella

shout, lunge

sloshing adrenalin.

Curiosity or Defense?

Today the tiny chipmunk at the concrete pile

has a friend and they are alert to me

the approaching upright animal; 

they dash away to the far end of the ties

then race back.  One comes to the tie end 

nearest me, pauses, little abdomen heaving 

with the flutter of lungs 

or heart (I can’t tell)

twitch-tails and bright-eyes me

then dives out of sight and surfaces fifteen 

feet down the jumble of concrete castoffs.  

I ease along the grassy path beside the heap

six feet beyond I turn to watch 

again one chipmunk scurries boldly near

running behind my heel;  I tilt my head 

searching and it darts away.  Tomorrow

I will bring three or four sunflower seeds, 

not to disrupt their economy, just enough

to show myself a friend.

In  small stone form: 

 

Chipmunk stops to eye me

little abdomen heaving 

with the flutter of lungs 

or heart (I can’t tell.)

Crisscross of Discarded Concrete Railroad Ties

I see: Despicable blot on landscape.

Chipmunk sees: Fortress!

In the Woodstove

Crackly orange scarlet embers

crowned with stubby blue flame.

Sacramental Laundry

Snap the tee shirt flat 

bring it to my heart

fold in this sleeve 

fold in that sleeve

gratitude and well wishing

for growing body and spirit

soon to be clothed 

fold up the bottom

precious son, treasured daughter

peace and blessing forever

let the top fall 

stack with the rest

amen.

Cheerful Mess

Carmine red washcloth

butter yellow tee 

rumpled together on taupe tile.

Through The Pines

Flash of magpie wings

white-white-white-white-white.

Spring Rain Remodeling

The creek is muddily, frothily busy 

shifting her furniture.

Moving In

“Kchiiirk, chiiiirk, chiiiirk!  Bzreeet!”

and sounds of knocking about

in the dining room ceiling corner --

starlings returning to the unmended eaves.

Make Do Rain Turtle

I forgot the umbrella 

so of course, it starts raining 

as we are walking to the bus,

it dumps even harder as we wait.

I pull the polyfill military surplus

“Liner, Wet Weather, Poncho (One Each)” 

 from the bottom of my daypack,

we drape the blanket over our heads and packs

and stand there like a giant, blind mutant 

camouflage turtle 

sorting the passing vehicles by sound.

Ponderosa Cafe

At the base of the puzzle barked pine

downy woodpecker hammers for breakfast

tunk, tonk... tomp, tump,tup,

chips fly

she twists her head, prying

more hammering,

“Chik!” with two wingbeats

she booth hops to the next trunk over.

Sheltered

Rain tip ti-pit ti-patting all around,
but since I stopped under this pine
only seven drops have struck me.

Two Puddles

Klup-splush, klup-splush, ku-sploink!

Winter shaggy piebald pony 

paws the marsh puddle with her forefoot.

Pondering muddy bubbles frozen

into the puddle’s surface I stand

slowly tapping my toe on the ice edge,

skwee-ka, skwee-ka, skwee-ka.

Unburdening

Snow clumps plummet from pine boughs
trailing drifty powder avalanches,
cratering the snowy ground around each tree.

Momentary Mystery

A sudden sizzling -
tiny hail flecks falling though pine boughs.

No Trespassing

Kr-krunk, .....kr-krunk
the thin, weather bleached steel sign
flaps from one remaining nail
in the creosoted fencepost.

Illusion

Against a backdrop of wind hustled clouds
the pines seem to bend, to lean
forward into earth’s rotation.

Mending in the Making

Feet moving loosely in rubber knee boots,

heels rubbing roughly in favorite rag socks

just where I know the wool is getting thin.

Close the Umbrella

Let the drops strike
the stiff felted hat brim directly,
a faint physical resonance
under ptt-tat-tatting sound.