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.