Friday, March 30, 2012

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Moving In

“Kchiiirk, chiiiirk, chiiiirk!  Bzreeet!”
and sounds of knocking about
in the dining room ceiling corner --
starlings returning to the unmended eaves.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

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.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

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.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Sheltered

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

Friday, March 23, 2012

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.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Unburdening

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

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

No Trespassing

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

Monday, March 19, 2012

Illusion

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

Friday, March 16, 2012

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.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Close the Umbrella

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

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Flat Gray Overcast

The sun is a diffuse disk
tinged blue at the bottom
white through the center
orange at the top.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Obstacle

The wind has torn the roof
from the neighbor's knocked together woodshed
thrown it upside down blocking the muddy lane
a rectangular carcass of corrugated steel
its 2x4 ribs exposed to the storm.
“Dad will have to more that,” I say to our son
negotiating the path to the bus.
Walking home through the woods above
I hear my husband grunt
as he lifts one edge, and tips it up
lets it fall -- SPANG-CLASH!
up against the road bank.
The truck door slams
the motor purrs on out the lane.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Tulips Begin

Thumb length spears 
burgundy and green
dare the bitter air
above hard-to-heel earth.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Friend Request

My wary friends the seven does
bound tails high across our path
across the fence lines and fields
crossing to the year-round creek,
the last doe spins back to the trees.
Returning, I pass below her on the hill.
She eyes me dubiously as I call 
“Good morning, pretty lady!”
Over my shoulder I can see she’s gone
back to grazing - probably my words
are nothing more to her than noise,
less than a marmot’s call
less than a nuthatch’s beeping.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Monday, March 5, 2012

Ponderosa Power

Walking a deer path 
through elder pines, 
pause, pivot a mindful circle 
greeting tree after tree 
“You are giving me energy!
Thank you,
thank you!”

Friday, March 2, 2012

"Good Morning, Ladies!"

On the snowy, boulder strewn hillside 
seven does return my observation.
Are they the same seven I saw yesterday?
And are they mule deer or whitetails?
And how have I lived into my sixth decade
without learning to tell the two apart?