I knelt with my mother at the side of the bed every night. Now I lay me down to sleep, we prayed together, I pray the lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the lord my soul to take. Meant to assure, comfort, after all, In the … Continue reading Reynoldsburg, 1963
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Tanka April 1
Rue Anemone Breaks through a carpet of leaves Another season Where impossible breakthroughs Offer glimmers, fragile hope
Delight
We laugh.You makecrooked smilesat nine weeksgive or takea day.We meet the morning,enter a flowfamiliarto the newlyborn,in a newtimemeanderfromsleep to sleep,wakefulawakenings.Rest isfuel forthe milestonesyoureach right beforeour eyes:You smileat my smile.We aremirrorspassing in time.Maybe I growyounger asyou grow up.Take my finger.Lead on, babychild,I’m alongfor the ride.Teach meto lovethe shadows of late afternoonleaves again,light beamson a crackedwall, the … Continue reading Delight
Both Sides
I am eight in a blue striped chair listening.There is a song that makes me tear upA pure high pitched voice sings ice cream castlesclouds and dreams and a refrain I don’tfully understand but somehow do in my belly.I am eighteen and I know the woman singingthat song wrote the song when she wasn’tmuch older … Continue reading Both Sides
Be Light
Widor's Toccata, fr. Symphony for Organ No. 5, generally lasts around 6 minutes.Longer than it takesto readthispoem (I promise)A well- wornRecessional featured atRoyal weddings,Funerals n-such -itspeaks tothe vitality- some might say-freneticism of walkinginto the light.Go forth, it says.Be brilliance,stamina,be the orderedrepetitionand deep basspulse of lifeCelebrate.It’s a showcase for organists and,I hear, notan insurmountabletask to learn. … Continue reading Be Light
Blood Song
Years ago,we listened behind the closed door to our high- school -aged daughters, working onthe Wailin Jenny’s tune, Beautiful Dawn. We smiled knowing they shared some tingly good blood harmonies & were finding a flow and a feeling. There’s a thrill in meeting one another in a room, on a porch, on hillsideto sing the … Continue reading Blood Song
Red Wing
Tittercluckit buildsto a sharpsquawklike thebird stuck itstoeinto a liveelectrical outletConk-a-reeeeelthe birder booksays but I can’t makethose fit.They fillthe edgesof the woodsby the stream.Red shouldersblur againsta greeningbackdrop.Perpetualspring mating ritual.Busy chatter:Looky-heeeeer!
Behind the Curve Ahead of Myself
I’m thinking of summermy hands busyin dirt I’d hoped tomake ready weeks ago beforethe cold rains soaked our sleepybeds.Sun makes me thinksunflower, coneflower,blanketflower anda nice tomato ortwo but I’m aheadof myself today,behind the curveresurrecting the wobbly planter,seeding greens,radish,turning compostall things thatcome alongwith a little effort.Meanwhile, Inotice my mindwanders forwardas my body slows.Here again, aheadof myself.Still, … Continue reading Behind the Curve Ahead of Myself
Belly Burns
John had problems.But so did all of us. This is not my storyto tell -yetthere are girlswho wentto his house tosee if he was kidding aboutbaking himselfin his mom’s oven,and they learnedthat he woreboxer shortsand slatheredhimself with oleo margarine,and in fact,could hardly geta leg in the pre-heatingoven before tipping the whole thingforward ontothe linoleum with … Continue reading Belly Burns
Inevitable
InevitableSo then, we areInevitableFollow our starsAll the days your songs remember meAll your songs still leave their mark on meAging gracefully so inevitablyInevitableSo then, we areInevitableFollow our starsHigh above the heavens sing to meWordless phrases ring a bell for meOpen arms embrace the mystery with youInevitableSo, then, we areAll your songs still leave their mark … Continue reading Inevitable
Early Morning Poems 