Poetry, Stories and Plays for Young and Adult Readers

A walk through fire; October 1st, 2010
maples illuminate paths October 2nd, 2010
toward monochrome. October 3rd, 2010

In yellow slicker October 4th, 2010
and blue boots, the boy catches October 5th, 2010
a double rainbow. October 6th, 2010

Against the wild wind — October 7th, 2010
the architecture of webs. October 8th, 2010
Spiders and prey swing. October 9th, 2010

Nothing stays the same October 10th, 2010
on a wrath of God dark day October 11th, 2010
in this holy wind. October 12th, 2010

A dragonfly falls. October 13th, 2010
Mica wings glitter, flutter. October 14th, 2010
Crack against concrete. October 15th, 2010

October sunrise October 16th, 2010
weaves a shawl of thanksgiving: October 17th, 2010
pearl gray, scarlet fringed. October 18th, 2010

Grass, frost-white at dawn. October 19th, 2010
Groves of skeleton shadows. October 20th, 2010
Still, still a robin. October 21st, 2010

Cormorants file East, October 22nd, 2010
their histories strung along October 23rd, 2010
lines and lines of waves. October 24th, 2010

A saw-whet, banded, October 25th, 2010
rests in her palm, lifts soft wings, October 26th, 2010
leaves her like a breath. October 27th, 2010

Jazz is a woman October 28th, 2010
not easily satisfied October 29th, 2010
by hands at her strings. October 30th, 2010

On Hallow’een, snow. October 31st, 2010
Vampires: mittened, in boots. November 1st, 2010
Nature’s trick and treat. November 2nd, 2010

In miniature: November 3rd, 2010
acrylic skulls, lace curtains, November 4th, 2010
handpainted cups, plates. November 5th, 2010
Part dollhouse dream, part funhouse. November 6th, 2010
Stairs spiral down to nothing. November 7th, 2010

What is this circus? November 8th, 2010
Like acrobats, lovers reach November 9th, 2010
toward a trapeze. November 10th, 2010
If they fall, they fall hard, hard. November 11th, 2010
Slaves to gravity can’t fly. November 12th, 2010

Stark on calm waters, November 13th, 2010
tundra swans’ fidelity: November 14th, 2010
white against slate-grey. November 15th, 2010
A morning choreographed. November 16th, 2010
Grace in every pas de deux. November 17th, 2010

We walk the shoreline November 18th, 2010
below dunes, high as ten men. November 19th, 2010
Geese mutter, shuffle. November 20th, 2010
We ascend the soft, steep slope. November 21st, 2010
Pass trees grown tall without soil. November 22nd, 2010

A pause, a breath, then November 23rd, 2010
into a white-powder bowl. November 24th, 2010
Distant waves chant as November 25th, 2010
grasses trace the wind’s cycles November 26th, 2010
in perfect semicircles. November 27th, 2010

Boot prints, small paw prints November 28th, 2010
suggest a way to the shore. November 29th, 2010
We follow on faith November 30th, 2010
until we stand, as pilgrims, December 1st, 2010
to worship on virgin ground. December 2nd, 2010

Stillness, such stillness. December 3rd, 2010
Even the wind, quieted. December 4th, 2010
Fresh tracks to the left: December 5th, 2010
pads much larger than a dog’s; December 6th, 2010
no human tread to tame them. December 7th, 2010

We take flight, career December 8th, 2010
down a harsh diagonal. December 9th, 2010
Geese fan to the bay. December 10th, 2010
In pale sunlight, take solace December 11th, 2010
in the elegance of swans. December 12th, 2010

Cornstalk stubble, white December 13th, 2010
fields, peppered with stalwart crows. December 14th, 2010
Lesser birds flee South. December 15th, 2010

She cannot find sleep. December 16th, 2010
In the tangled sheets of her mind, December 17th, 2010
crow-black trumps sheep-white. December 18th, 2010
Eyes closed, she seeks a sunset. December 19th, 2010
Not any sunset, but one December 20th, 2010
that can draw her to its night. December 21st, 2010

She invokes that sun. December 22nd, 2010
Embraced by island cliffs and December 23rd, 2010
mainland hills and bays, December 24th, 2010
the sea assumes its mantle: December 25th, 2010
languid, liquid, beaten gold. December 26th, 2010

A boat’s wake bisects December 27th, 2010
the surface; a thin, black line December 28th, 2010
between east and rest. December 29th, 2010
Becalmed, adrift, she floats on December 30th, 2010
eddies, with the current. Dreams. December 31st, 2010

A rival sunset January 1st, 2011
insinuates its profile. January 2nd, 2011
Upstart? Unwelcome? January 3rd, 2011
Freshwater sea, hard-shouldered; January 4th, 2011
headland pines in silhouette. January 5th, 2011

Flawless complexion, January 6th, 2011
framed by strands of cirrus clouds; January 7th, 2011
the spectrum of flames. January 8th, 2011
Mirrored, mirrored on the bay, January 9th, 2011
which is the fairest of them… January 10th, 2011

A shrine’s wooden cross, January 11th, 2011
stranded in weeds, untended January 12th, 2011
beside the toll road. January 13th, 2011
Christmas garlands, tinsel-draped; January 14th, 2011
Death does not take holidays. January 15th, 2011

One woman wears words, January 16th, 2011
the dark aura of her grief, January 17th, 2011
her own crown of thorns. January 18th, 2011
ERs, ICUs, IVs January 19th, 2011
lend her language urgency. January 20th, 2011

A second woman, January 21st, 2011
unadorned on a bare stage, January 22nd, 2011
stakes them as her own. January 23rd, 2011
Between actor and writer, January 24th, 2011
a conspiracy of dread. January 25th, 2011

This cannot end well. January 26th, 2011
Otherwise, where’s the drama. January 27th, 2011
But why speak of it: January 28th, 2011
altruistic warning or January 29th, 2011
expiation, catharsis? January 30th, 2011

The facts, complicit; January 31st, 2011
a husband, a daughter die. February 1st, 2011
The survivor’s masque: February 2nd, 2011
theatre as oasis February 3rd, 2011
with its well of cold wisdom. February 4th, 2011

Define who you are: February 5th, 2011
assigned to sixteen year-olds, February 6th, 2011
a four-month challenge. February 7th, 2011
The teacher’s demand blinds him. February 8th, 2011
Few images, no words come. February 9th, 2011

What he ‘sees’ is white, February 10th, 2011
white as the bay in winter. February 11th, 2011
Surface, all surface. February 12th, 2011
The expanse, the emptiness — February 13th, 2011
speak to him of his likeness. February 14th, 2011

One girl in his class February 15th, 2011
transfers words onto paper. February 16th, 2011
Parchment confessions February 17th, 2011
rolled and tied, suspended from February 18th, 2011
lines, as transparent as she. February 19th, 2011

Another classmate: February 20th, 2011
her self study, scuplted in February 21st, 2011
blue papier mache. February 22nd, 2011
Scarlet lips, parted, scream out February 23rd, 2011
obsenities, defilement. February 24th, 2011

It is no surprise — February 25th, 2011
she IS that tortured torso. February 26th, 2011
His offering, pales. February 27th, 2011
An aquarium: heavy February 27th, 2011
with water, silt, his stuff. February 28th, 2011

A dime, a penknife March 1st, 2011
join a cat’s eye, rubik’s cube, March 2nd, 2011
an empty pill box, March 3rd, 2011
a rusted padlock, open, March 4th, 2011
a box of condoms, still wrapped. March 5th, 2011

Now he adds `ice,`snow`; March 6th, 2011
a slab of thick styrofoam — March 7th, 2011
precise cut, force fed — March 8th, 2011
shrieks as it streaks down the glass. March 9th, 2011
Afloat, it steals the surface. March 10th, 2011

Each found object, drowned: March 11th, 2011
a loser’s pitiable picks. March 12th, 2011
Too late to change them. March 13th, 2011
Their weight, heavy on his chest. March 14th, 2011
Breathless, he hands his work in. March 15th, 2011

He waits for judgment March 16th, 2011
as waves wait below March ice — March 17th, 2011
impatient, pulsing. March 18th, 2011
Doesn’t know for what he hopes: March 19th, 2011
Kudos or oblivion? March 20th, 2011

No one has told Spring. March 21st, 2011
She ignores the willing sun. March 22nd, 2011
Scowls her cold ‘welcome.’ March 23rd, 2011
His designs on her, fruitless, March 24th, 2011
she smoothes her shifts of snow. March 25th, 2011

She takes the lesson — March 26th, 2011
the hard one she learned from Earth: March 27th, 2011
To yield is weakness. March 28th, 2011
Earth, deflowered, denuded March 29th, 2011
seeks vengeance, retribution. March 30th, 2011

A victim no more, March 31st, 2011
she dresses herself in flames, April 1st, 2011
throws off her mantle. April 2nd, 2011
She forgets the children, sends April 3rd, 2011
the wave to steal their future. April 4th, 2011

Conversations fail. April 5th, 2011
Voracious grief consumes worlds. April 6th, 2011
Which death is harsher? April 7th, 2011
A lover’s, mother’s or child’s? April 8th, 2011
To answer, dissect a heart. April 9th, 2011

Ask no such questions. April 10th, 2011
Find a heart sanctuary April 11th, 2011
in stained glass fragments. April 12th, 2011
Light–broken, scattered– can’t warm April 13th, 2011
stone but colours hands in prayer. April 14th, 2011

Long-shadow sunrise; April 15th, 2011
breakers in exultation April 16th, 2011
recite liturgies. April 17th, 2011
A eulogy of snow falls April 18th, 2011
onto stone-cold April earth. April 19th, 2011

I turn Picasso. April 20th, 2011
To sculpt as worship or as April 21st, 2011
sacrilege, homage April 22nd, 2011
or loathing: In wood? In stone? April 23rd, 2011
What becomes you? Must I choose? April 24th, 2011

She is ninety-three. April 25th, 2011
Dosing, she breathes well: no pain. April 26th, 2011
Dribble wets her hands. April 27th, 2011
Whisper her name. She sleeps, still. April 28th, 2011
Why shout, wake her for nothing? April 30th, 2011

Blue tissue, ribbons. May 1st, 2011
Within lies Spring, hand knit, in May 2nd, 2011
run-off colours, curled. May 3rd, 2011
A garland, crafted by one May 4th, 2011
woman for her younger self. May 5th, 2011

Not exactly,no. May 6th, 2011
Black, white, grey: not her colours. May 7th, 2011
Fuchsia clothes her. May 8th, 2011
She creates for another, May 9th, 2011
full twenty years her junior. May 10th, 2011

That second woman May 11th, 2011
wishes to age like her friend: May 12th, 2011
lined, yet beautiful; May 13th, 2011
marked, not scarred; in hardship’s wake, May 14th, 2011
a traveller trav’ling light. May 15th, 2011

Nets strung, loose across May 16th, 2011
paths, through forest leaves and light, May 17th, 2011
to catch a warbler. May 18th, 2011
Covetous, the watchers wait, May 19th, 2011
crave beauty, indigo wings. May 20th, 2011

Vigil,ritual: May 21st, 2011
nets raised at sunrise;migrants May 22nd, 2011
define the seasons. May 23rd, 2011
From thin nylon threads, sure hands May 24th, 2011
unravel irredescence. May 24th, 2011

Pilgrims all and each May 25th, 2011
journey to sanctuaries, May 27th, 2011
waystations or home: May 28th, 2011
defined by what they seek there May 29th, 2011
or by what it is they find. May 30th, 2011

Salvation: a prize May 31st, 2011
or a curse. In the striving, June 1st, 2011
what is gained? What lost? June 2nd, 2011
The spirit struggles, caught in June 3rd, 2011
the cruel silks of perfection. June 4th, 2011

Clothed in rags and gold, June 5th, 2011
a penitent, forsaken, June 6th, 2011
seeks worlds in prayer, June 7th, 2011
sifts through sands of discontent June 8th, 2011
that run through, burn her fingers. June 8th, 2011

Sand against windshield: June 9th, 2011
she drives through clouds of mayflies, June 10th, 2011
black above asphalt. June 11th, 2011
Her final turn off pavement, June 12th, 2011
down a lane of spent lilacs. June 13th, 2011

What was she thinking? June 14th, 2011
‘I need beauty, a place of June 15th, 2011
quiet water, stones. June 16th, 2011
Loons’ common laughter, gulls’ cries. June 17th, 2011
Virginia Woolf beside me.’ June 18th, 2011

She abandons words June 19th, 2011
and brings a lesson of stones. June 20th, 2011
Awaiting nightfall, June 21st, 2011
she’s blind to cirri, radiant June 22nd, 2011
at summer solstice sunset. June 23rd, 2011

Her back to the land, June 24th, 2011
she no longer finds wonder June 25th, 2011
in whip-poor-will calls June 26th, 2011
or flickers of fireflies. June 27th, 2011
Weighed down, she swallows the lake. June 28th, 2011

At dawn, not a sound. June 29th, 2011
Why no warblers, no blue jays? June 30th, 2011
Why no chickadees? July 1st, 2011
Baystones on shore understand. July 2nd, 2011
Ledges underwater know. July 3rd, 2011

Her spirit submerged July 4th, 2011
in the silence, in the depths July 5th, 2011
beyond requiem. July 6th, 2011
An object to recover July 7th, 2011
with a boat and body bag. July 8th, 2011

On July the 2nd, July 9th, 2011
no longer celebrated, July 10th, 2011
a mother’s birthday July 11th, 2011
gives evidence her daughter July 12th, 2011
is no one’s child anymore. July 13th, 2011

A dove’s shallow nest July 14th, 2011
on a back deck’s cedar rail. July 15th, 2011
Two, closed-eye fledglings, July 16th, 2011
under a cascade of vines, July 17th, 2011
warmed by feathered breast and sun. July 18th, 2011

What stakes the moment July 19th, 2011
to abandon soft closeness: July 20th, 2011
A predator’s call? July 21st, 2011
New wings, tight-bound in the nest? July 22nd, 2011
A matter of choice? Instinct? July 23rd, 2011

Does ‘mother’ leave first? July 24th, 2011
Her example, how to fly, July 25th, 2011
easy to follow July 26th, 2011
to shelter in junipers July 27th, 2011
among silver-green berries. July 28th, 2011

In 9 a.m. sun, July 29th, 2011
the adult, two juveniles July 30th, 2011
nest in a huddle. July 31st, 2011
At 10:00, the next scene: silent, August 1st, 2011
without audience. They’re gone. August 2nd, 2011

Pose the question well. August 3rd, 2011
If a tree falls in the wood, August 4th, 2011
and no one is there, August 5th, 2011
does that make a sound or not? August 6th, 2011
A philosopher’s puzzle. August 7th, 2011

The wings of three doves August 8th, 2011
would whistle in taking flight. August 9th, 2011
Were they frightened off? August 10th, 2011
Could young pinions lift them? August 11th, 2011
Did they fall if no one saw? August 12th, 2011

Lightning, a rainbow August 13th, 2011
in the same yardage of sky. August 14th, 2011
A sash of weathers August 15th, 2011
that warp the weaver’s pattern, August 16th, 2011
disguise the clothes of a storm. August 17th, 2011

She should have been warned: August 18th, 2011
one theft begets another. August 19th, 2011
How not to be caught? August 20th, 2011
Confidence, experience August 21st, 2011
cloaked her, blindfolded her eyes. August 22nd, 2011

They met in a song. August 23rd, 2011
Seduction, its melody August 24th, 2011
with rhythmic refrain, August 25th, 2011
overrode their histories, August 26th, 2011
stole for them an anthem: “we.” August 27th, 2011

For ten years, plus two, August 28th, 2011
that theft, remembered only August 29th, 2011
as an air to hum August 30th, 2011
till he no longer recalls September 1st, 2011
many words, some of the tune. September 2nd, 2011

She should have been warned. September 3rd, 2011
One theft begets another. September 4th, 2011
Memories like lace: September 5th, 2011
tatting, a pattern of holes, September 6th, 2011
shroud him, steal him from her. September 7th, 2011

What she needs from him: September 8th, 2011
she tells him, she shows him what. September 9th, 2011
He never asked her, September 10th, 2011
so doesn’t listen or hear. September 11th, 2011
Perhaps has forgotten how. September 12th, 2011

Memory, fleeting September 13th, 2011
or omnipresent, overlaid September 14th, 2011
with images from hell. September 15th, 2011
Fear, hate: skyline ghosts scrape heights, September 16th, 2011
imprint on eyes that still weep. September 17th, 2011

From her low deckchair September 18th, 2011
she sees only shoes and legs. September 19th, 2011
Plum painted toe-nails, September 20th, 2011
bronze sandals, hiking boots, September 21st, 2011
sneakers, heels, red ballet flats. September 22nd, 2011

Trunks block her sight-lines; September 23rd, 2011
a grove of stooped backs, straight spines September 24th, 2011
screen the stage from her. September 25th, 2011
She hears the addaggio, September 26th, 2011
sees a plane, white on sky blue. September 27th, 2011

Listens for her fears. September 28th, 2011
Their refrain cannot compete September 29th, 2011
with this assembly. September 30th, 2011
Minds, hearts tuned to melody, October 1st, 2011
as leaves turn toward the sun. October 2nd, 2011

A dawn of anger October 3rd, 2011
caught by juniper branches, October 4th, 2011
twisting and tossing. October 5th, 2011
Waves, wind in conspiracy. October 6th, 2011
To dream? Impossible now. October 7th, 2011

Guests at the table October 8th, 2011
no longer call to their gods. October 9th, 2011
Their prayers, secular, October 10th, 2011
presume a role at centre stage, October 12th, 2011
dream of ruling the cosmos. October 13th, 2011

Folly, such folly. October 14th, 2011
Like the emperor’s fine clothes, October 15th, 2011
less than gossamer: October 16th, 2011
their substance, significance — October 17th, 2011
ephemeral as a breath. October 18th, 2011

Water, gravity October 19th, 2011
in a taught conspiracy October 20th, 2011
with bedrock and shale: October 21st, 2011
distilled words, drawn down, down, down, October 22nd, 2011
find their voices at the core. October 23rd, 2011

Torrent or trickle? October 24th, 2011
Forging canyons in the mind, October 25th, 2011
following fissures, October 26th, 2011
impurities in the flow October 27th, 2011
filtered with each narrowing. October 28th, 2011

Is the way easy? October 29th, 2011
Does she, like water, follow October 30th, 2011
courses ready-made October 31st, 2011
where gravity enables November 1st, 2011
her soft words to slip through stone? November 2nd, 2011

Or must she travel November 3rd, 2011
a steep sinue of a road, November 4th, 2011
twisting up, around November 5th, 2011
blind curves: she cannot know what’s November 6th, 2011
coming but strives forward still. November 7th, 2011

Forty years ago, November 8th, 2011
when almost a woman, November 9th, 2011
a serious girl November 10th, 2011
found his features beautiful, November 11th, 2011
felt the heat of his pursuit. November 12th, 2011

Now she can still see November 13th, 2011
how he walked down her front steps, November 14th, 2011
how he crossed her street: November 15th, 2011
tall, slim; hands loose at his sides; November 16th, 2011
steps, fluid as a dancer’s. November 17th, 2011

Now she remembers November 18th, 2011
the summer she turned twenty. November 19th, 2011
He charmed them: boys, girls — November 20th, 2011
student guides at the world’s fair November 21st, 2011
let him lead them anywhere. November 22nd, 2011

When he came for her, November 23rd, 2011
when it was her turn at last, November 24th, 2011
she feared, yet followed. November 25th, 2011
Midnight flamenco, tangos, November 26th, 2011
wine, whispers: all real or not? November 27th, 2011

Now so long ago. November 28th, 2011
Still, his essence at that time, November 29th, 2011
what he was to her, November 30th, 2011
flourishes unblemished, fans December 1st, 2011
the embers of memory. December 2nd, 2011

Santa on Main Street: December 3rd, 2011
His cavalcade, commercial. December 4th, 2011
Good will, good business, joined. December 5th, 2011
Equal measures of dollars December 6th, 2011
and dreaming of sugarplums. December 7th, 2011

She speaks of herself December 8th, 2011
for one hour; portrays how December 9th, 2011
fairy godmothers, December 10th, 2011
luck rule her life; this woman December 11th, 2011
blind to how she makes her own. December 12th, 2011

He lived tough at first. December 13th, 2011
His house near the bus depot, December 14th, 2011
not nearly a home. December 15th, 2011
he watched through tattered curtains December 16th, 2011
as wheels turned toward Somewhere. December 17th, 2011

His intersection: December 18th, 2011
without lights, five roads converge. December 19th, 2011
Stops at each corner. December 20th, 2011
His lifescape: a pub, petstore; December 21st, 2011
a gas station and buses. December 22nd, 2011

Wanted: dead or alive, December 23rd, 2011
a new dancemaster for death. December 24th, 2011
Well schooled? Yes, of course, December 25th, 2011
in the arts. To pirouette December 26th, 2011
to life’s choreography. December 27th, 2011

Her sharp reflection December 28th, 2011
in a mirror framed with vines. December 29th, 2011
She stares at her face, December 30th, 2011
the mask that hides what she knows: December 31st, 2011
under lips, that smile — her skull. December 31st, 2011

What is she, she asks. January 1st, 2012
Bones, flesh, gray matter, veins, blood? January 2nd, 2012
A prison of cells? January 3rd, 2012
Her body confines, defines January 4th, 2012
her essence; when she lives, dies. January 5th, 2012

She, shackled and bound, January 6th, 2012
rejects her physical self; January 7th, 2012
seeks freedom elsewhere. January 8th, 2012
Spirit, soul: free in her mind January 9th, 2012
where cell walls wait to be breached. January 10th, 2012

Exit the balsam. January 11th, 2012
Chains of gold, ornaments: boxed. January 12th, 2012
Without scent or lights, January 13th, 2012
the room emptied of Christmas January 14th, 2012
becomes itself, unadorned. January 15th, 2012

The nature of cold: January 16th, 2012
as a colour, blue as ice. January 17th, 2012
Replace that cliche. January 18th, 2012
As a colour, colourless: January 19th, 2012
diamonds in winter’s crown. January 20th, 2012

A life line of crowns: January 21st, 2012
palm, crosshatched in diamonds, January 22nd, 2012
triangulation. January 23rd, 2012
Jewels of experience January 24th, 2012
nestle in fate’s filigree. January 25th, 2012

A lifetime: long? Short? January 26th, 2012
Life is nothing without death. January 27th, 2012
Like those much-married, January 28th, 2012
they become one another: January 29th, 2012
similar in looks, habits. January 30th, 2012

Their resemblance lasts, January 31st, 2012
survives the dying moment. February 1st, 2012
Without injury, February 2nd, 2012
only the absence of breath February 4th, 2012
severs their intimate bond. February 6th, 2012

In the aftermath, February 7th, 2012
absence of life becomes large, February 8th, 2012
fills the chamber. February 9th, 2012
Life force, animation, soul — February 10th, 2012
in memory, still prevail. February 11th, 2012

What’s life without death? February 12th, 2012
Life eternal: valued less, February 13th, 2012
as would be diamonds, February 14th, 2012
if they deposed grains of sand February 15th, 2012
on shores of hourglass seas. February 16th, 2012

Eighteen pelicans February 17th, 2012
roost in one of four pine trees. February 18th, 2012
The entertainment: February 19th, 2012
White women, mainly sun-hatted, February 20th, 2012
stoop, pan for shells at high tide. February 21st, 2012

It’s not their ocean: February 22nd, 2012
The two-legged creatures that can’t February 23rd, 2012
glide, soar and plunge, February 24th, 2012
pouch a fish, swallow it whole, February 25th, 2012
leave a morsel for a tern. February 26th, 2012

Top heavy, these pines February 27th, 2012
grant superiority February 28th, 2012
to the pelicans. February 29th, 2012
At least, at this island’s shore, March 1st, 2012
their mastery, unchallenged. March 2nd, 2012

Absence: Nowhere March 3rd, 2012
to return from or to. March 4th, 2012
No beachside haven. March 5th, 2012
No cloud-crowned mountain summit. March 6th, 2012
No sun-blessed glade or bower. March 7th, 2012

No haven for thought, March 8th, 2012
not inside walls of cells or March 9th, 2012
metaphysical. March 10th, 2012
All absence rings: muted, March 11th, 2012
without breath, the balm of voice. March 12th, 2012

Glasses by the bed, March 13th, 2012
a hospital mattress, stripped. March 14th, 2012
Places cry empty, March 15th, 2012
even as music lingers, March 16th, 2012
still infuses memory. March 17th, 2012

Infused by absence, March 18th, 2012
rooms where he worked, whatever March 19th, 2012
he touched, survive him. March 20th, 2012
A concert grand, notes, books, wait March 21st, 2012
for his return from nowhere. March 22nd, 2012

Blond, tanned, Eve waits March 23rd, 2012
on the bridge to Bowman Beach; March 24th, 2012
her gown, high-waisted; March 25th, 2012
gold, sequinned flip-flops; a bouquet March 26th, 2012
of stem orchids, dyed turquoise. March 27th, 2012

This bridge to Eden March 28th, 2012
spans a rare-bird habitat. March 29th, 2012
Poised at its apex, March 30th, 2012
her spouse of twenty minutes March 31st, 2012
caresses her bare shoulder. April 1st, 2012

Two little bridesmaids April 2nd, 2012
in aqua tuck under her wings, April 3rd, 2012
make themselves so small April 4th, 2012
they fail to hide the new life April 5th, 2012
in their mother’s silk-draped womb. April 6th, 2012

Saturday morning, April 7th, 2012
a fox with dance and a feint April 8th, 2012
claims cliffs and shoreline April 9th, 2012
as his own, hoists his standard: April 10th, 2012
red on aqua silk, rampant. April 11th, 2012

We, the visitors, April 12th, 2012
his audience at ringside, April 13th, 2012
watch the tournament: April 14th, 2012
spike-crowned mergansers en garde; April 15th, 2012
the thrust and parry of waves. April 16th, 2012

Waters play restless, April 17th, 2012
even at this no-tide shore. April 18th, 2012
They lap, slap, clap till April 19th, 2012
after midnight calm returns, April 20th, 2012
summoned by the call of wolves. April 21st, 2012

Hands pull at harp strings, April 22nd, 2012
as wind calls to high grasses, April 23rd, 2012
ripples, rifles them. April 24th, 2012
Wild sheaves sway to its rhythms; April 25th, 2012
their heads bowed to melody. April 26th, 2012

Dead birds cannot sing. April 27th, 2012
Their melodies, lost to winds April 28th, 2012
that rouse high towers April 29th, 2012
to turn great blades of steel April 30th, 2012
that churn songs and soft feathers. May 1st, 2012

What will children hear May 2nd, 2012
in forests bereft of trees, May 3rd, 2012
fields without flowers? May 4th, 2012
No songbirds. No Chorus frogs. May 5th, 2012
Only a harsh hush, man-made. May 6th, 2012

She’s a madonna. May 7th, 2012
No man could ever paint her. May 8th, 2012
Brush stroke caresses, May 9th, 2012
lust-red, would taint his palette: May 10th, 2012
A saint, man-made, thus undone. May 11th, 2012

This woman: a myth May 13th, 2012
or real? Her calm tames sorrow. May 13th, 2012
Her tears bless the earth. May 14th, 2012
All creatures, worthy of love, May 15th, 2012
mourned whether full fair or plain. May 16th, 2012

The death of a child May 17th, 2012
gives her just reason to mourn May 18th, 2012
for eternity. May 19th, 2012
She will kindle love with loss May 20th, 2012
till her eyes close to their light. May 21st, 2012

No light before dawn. May 22nd, 2012
Loneliness lies awake with May 23rd, 2012
its lover, silence. May 24th, 2012
Silhouette landscapes merge May 25th, 2012
with birdsong to end darkness. May 26th, 2012

A song in praise of May 27th, 2012
this friend for fifty-two years. May 28th, 2012
Like lines in a hand, May 29th, 2012
her presence, her love, etched deep, May 30th, 2012
framed the child, formed the woman. May 31st, 2012

The language of life — June 1st, 2012
images and sounds from worlds June 2nd, 2012
in evolution. June 3rd, 2012
Before letters, cavelines drawn June 4th, 2012
by the hands of history. June 5th, 2012

All ephemeral, June 6th, 2012
spoken stories lose to tides June 7th, 2012
that heed but the moon. June 8th, 2012
Histories, written, survive June 9th, 2012
above the high-water line. June 10th, 2012

Words anchor minds, bring June 11th, 2012
imagination, spirit June 12th, 2012
home to wide harbours; June 13th, 2012
whether on paper or on a screen, June 14th, 2012
treasures, ideas, unlocked. June 17th, 2012

Three men on a porch. June 18th, 2012
Beer cans — one, two, three, four, five — June 19th, 2012
line the roughhewn rail. June 20th, 2012
The wide bay, shawled by sunset, June 21st, 2012
stays calm as they reload. June 22nd, 2012

With rifles, handguns, June 23rd, 2012
they shoot toward deep water, June 24th, 2012
where soft clouds shimmer. June 24th, 2012
Such weapons, such aimless hands June 25th, 2012
shatter surface, silence, calm. June 26th, 2012

Calm, tame your anger. June 27th, 2012
As scissors alter fabric, June 28th, 2012
anger transforms heart. June 29th, 2012
Tissue — hardened, constricted. June 30th, 2012
The warp, weft of life — altered. July 1st, 2012

Love as carapace? July 2nd, 2012
Whether carried by the heart July 3rd, 2012
or mind, it transforms. July 4th, 2012
Without shield or hard-grown shell, July 5th, 2012
openness lies, unguarded. July 6th, 2012

Openness defies form. July 7th, 2012
No trellis supports its weight. July 8th, 2012
It’s invisible. July 9th, 2012
Limitless, it can be bound July 10th, 2012
by love’s elasticity. July 11th, 2012

She vowed she loved him, July 12th, 2012
demanded a home from him. July 13th, 2012
He was not as sure. July 14th, 2012
How she had pursued him then, July 15th, 2012
her bow taut, arrow ready. July 16th, 2012

He wanted to leave, July 17th, 2012
to seek wisdom on his own. July 18th, 2012
She used weapon tears, July 18th, 2012
siren calls to pull him back, July 20th, 2012
hoist him to her trophy wall. July 21st, 2012

Now words cut him down. July 22nd, 2012
From a continent away, July 23rd, 2012
she draws back her love. July 24th, 2012
Wounded, he flails, falls and folds. July 25th, 2012
Bleeds more with her arrow out. July 26th, 2012

Rain makes summer grow. July 27th, 2012
In a green county, proud corn stalks, July 28th, 2012
Sharon roses thrive. July 29th, 2012
Tendril vines twist ’round wires. July 30th, 2012
A fall of sun brings Riesling. July 31st, 2012

Hard to distinguish August 1st, 2012
Old World Swallowtails from leaves August 2nd, 2012
burned ochre by drought. August 3rd, 2012
They glide past falling petals August 4th, 2012
till rain offers them lilies. August 5th, 2012

Rain: yes, yes, yes, yes. August 6th, 2012
High clouds gave rain leave to fall August 7th, 2012
on desperation. August 8th, 2012
A double rainbow cliche August 9th, 2012
undone: no drops reach the ground. August 10th, 2012

Too much, too much noise. August 11th, 2012
Morning rain spits and sputters. August 12th, 2012
Chickadees complain. August 13th, 2012
Blue jays call, insult the calm August 14th, 2012
craved by the sole penitent. August 15th, 2012

No pleasure comes from August 16th, 2012
the conspiracy of doves, August 17th, 2012
their three-note secret, August 18th, 2012
soft and sure, offset by terns, August 19th, 2012
aloft with rasp and cackle. August 20th, 2012

What does calm bestow? August 21st, 2012
The same as quiet offers? August 22nd, 2012
Is it more? Or less? August 23rd, 2012
What if he finds no refuge August 24th, 2012
in what he believes, he seeks? August 25th, 2012

He thought he knew it, August 26th, 2012
how calm would feel: Petal-soft, August 27th, 2012
breeze-easy, pastel. August 28th, 2012
Instead, a room of concrete August 29th, 2012
echoes with his own heartbeat. August 30th, 2012

From the beginning, August 31st, 2012
as he grew within her womb, September 1st, 2012
the child was not hers, September 2nd, 2012
not really hers to possess. September 3rd, 2012
Their hearts beat in counterpoint. September 4th, 2012

She expected it. September 5th, 2012
Knew no escape, no rescue September 6th, 2012
from consequences September 7th, 2012
robed in slick silks, beaten gold September 8th, 2012
or naked, shawled in tatters. September 9th, 2012

Would he speak aloud September 10th, 2012
in arrogance, righteousness? September 11th, 2012
Weave no excuses September 12th, 2012
to cloak lies that rest easy September 13th, 2012
on shoulders unbent by guilt? September 14th, 2012

Or would he whisper September 15th, 2012
words of humble penitence, September 16th, 2012
seek forgiveness? September 17th, 2012
Without excuse, beg trust to September 18th, 2012
knit the savaged skeins of love. September 20th, 2012

The fabric of love, September 21st, 2012
as fragile as gossamer September 22nd, 2012
rent by deception. September 23rd, 2012
Slender strands release lovers September 24th, 2012
who fall from where they were bound. September 25th, 2012

Or not? Love’s fabric: September 26th, 2012
a post-modern construction September 27th, 2012
of titanium. September 28th, 2012
Mesh, when bent, curved, sewn, stapled, September 29th, 2012
protects better than the skull. September 30th, 2012

Bent, curved, lined, he lives, October 1st, 2012
sees his life in retrospect. October 2nd, 2012
An iron mirror October 3rd, 2012
frames his vision, confines him October 4th, 2012
to one dimension: surface. October 5th, 2012

His face displeases. October 6th, 2012
Years become topography, October 7th, 2012
transferred onto skin. October 8th, 2012
Reveal him, a landscape of October 9th, 2012
spider veins, pockmarks, wide pores. October 10th, 2012

Better not to look, October 11th, 2012
at least not as closely. October 12th, 2012
Better to look past, October 13th, 2012
to the past, its promise then, October 14th, 2012
not at what the future wrought. October 15th, 2012

What future, the boy? October 16th, 2012
Heavy set, teen-tall, October 17th, 2012
his vantage all his own. October 18th, 2012
Few understand what he sees October 19th, 2012
wherever he looks around him. October 20th, 2012

How to love the boy? October 21st, 2012
He sits apart, averts his eyes. October 22nd, 2012
Wordless, he cries out October 23rd, 2012
a single note, at random. October 24th, 2012
His calls, a plea for something. October 25th, 2012

What does the boy hear? October 26th, 2012
He sways to his own rhythms, October 27th, 2012
calls in counterpoint October 28th, 2012
to those around him who don’t October 29th, 2012
understand what it is they hear. October 30th, 2012

He can see, can hear. October 31st, 2012
Caught by a prism’s spectrum, November 1st, 2012
its sole prisoner, November 2nd, 2012
drawn to the sound of its light, November 3rd, 2012
loses himself in colour. November 4th, 2012

Oak-leaf strewn, rough steps November 5th, 2012
to the lower waterfall, November 6th, 2012
lined with plump pumpkins. November 7th, 2012
Each orb carries one letter. November 8th, 2012
They spell “Will you marry me?” November 9th, 2012

Such an offer, made November 10th, 2012
in snow-squall bold November: November 11th, 2012
how can she not take November 12th, 2012
one hundred and twenty-three November 13th, 2012
joyful steps to her future? November 14th, 2012

Why does it matter November 15th, 2012
who it was cast the first stone November 16th, 2012
when all that remains November 17th, 2012
of the staircase toward peace November 18th, 2012
is rubble and blood and hate. November 19th, 2012

November 20th, 2012
under the weight of these stones November 21st, 2012
from quarries, beachheads, November 22nd, 2012
roadsides, ruins, prisons where November 23rd, 2012
humanity languishes. November 24th, 2012

And yet, new snow falls November 25th, 2012
on laneways, stones and grasses November 26th, 2012
still green, summer green. November 27th, 2012
A lace veil of soft, bright cold November 28th, 2012
transforms landscape into bride. November 29th, 2012

At the edge of lakes, November 30th, 2012
freed from scarves of ice, waits Spring. December 1st, 2012
And in weaves of waves, December 2nd, 2012
on elms with bud appliqués, December 3rd, 2012
at the hem of tufted clouds. December 4th, 2012

A garter snake basks December 5th, 2012
on bedding of shore-worn shale, December 6th, 2012
near the watermark. December 7th, 2012
Loons dive into veiled shadows. December 8th, 2012
Snowgeese embroider the sky. December 9th, 2012

Cedar branches wear December 10th, 2012
garments fashioned by winter. December 11th, 2012
Encrusted, ice jewels December 12th, 2012
glitter, bend boughs toward Earth December 13th, 2012
who draws them into her heart. December 14th, 2012

‘At face value:’ December 15th, 2012
What you see is what you get. December 16th, 2012
Sometimes, only sometimes. December 17th, 2012
Take a fifty-dollar bill. December 18th, 2012
Choose fine goods, foods to consume. December 19th, 2012

Don’t bother to check December 20th, 2012
from what sweatshop those shoes came, December 21st, 2012
from what grey waters December 22nd, 2012
grains of rice emerged, to blend December 23rd, 2012
with rat shit in fine boxes. December 24th, 2012

Check out the thin sole, December 25th, 2012
what connects you to the earth. December 26th, 2012
It has rubber’s feel, December 27th, 2012
cushions against rough terrain December 28th, 2012
but on wet pavement floors you. December 29th, 2012

Mundane examples December 30th, 2012
of how nine-tenths lurks below December 31st, 2012
whatever surface. January 1st, 2013
Learn now, how a shipwrecked mind January 2nd, 2013
set Sirens’ songs to gunfire. January 3rd, 2013

Anticipation: January 4th, 2013
You know something is coming. January 5th, 2013
You sense its goodness. January 6th, 2013
Feel its warmth, how it teases January 7th, 2013
promises desires, fulfilled. January 8th, 2013

A birthday? Christmas? January 9th, 2013
The celebration January 10th, 2013
as much in waiting, January 11th, 2013
in the preparing, as in January 12th, 2013
the event, the bows, ribbons. January 13th, 2013

Apprehension: January 14th, 2013
This time, you feel something near. January 15th, 2013
You sense it breathing, January 16th, 2013
how it lurks in the shadows, January 17th, 2013
clothed in the trappings of dread. January 18th, 2013

Illness? A deceit? January 19th, 2013
The moment between that point, January 20th, 2013
not really knowing, January 21st, 2013
and when truth overtakes hope: January 22nd, 2013
A last chance for innocence. January 23rd, 2013

But, without either, January 24th, 2013
without some foreshadowing: January 25th, 2013
Anticipation, January 26th, 2013
apprehension, both absent, January 27th, 2013
create an ambush that sears. January 28th, 2013

Winter’s two faces: January 29th, 2013
One turned to Spring, one to Fall. January 30th, 2013
A perfect Janus. January 31st, 2013
Monday — cloudless, sun-happy; February 1st, 2013
Tuesday, a harsh about-turn. February 2nd, 2013

A cold countenance: February 3rd, 2013
Centuries of freeze and thaw February 4th, 2013
gauge pits,etch deep lines. February 5th, 2013
History, climate unmasked, February 6th, 2013
etched on rock by winds, by waves. February 7th, 2013

It’s alright, okay February 8th, 2013
to become so like the sand: February 9th, 2013
Wave-weary, sun bleached, February 10th, 2013
reduced to grains that glimmer February 11th, 2013
as the tides advance, withdraw. February 12th, 2013

Resist temptation: February 13th, 2013
to read the shoreline as prose February 14th, 2013
is pure folly. February 15th, 2013
Without plot, beginning, end, February 16th, 2013
hear its rhythm, poetry. February 17th, 2013

Take aim, sight with care. March 12th, 2013
It’s not the calibre of March 13th, 2013
love which brings its end. March 14th, 2013
Rather, its velocity: March 15th, 2013
the speed trust leaves the barrel. March 16th, 2013

Too late, the rabbit. April 1st, 2013
By one day, the cottontail April 2nd, 2013
missed the moment when April 3rd, 2013
fiction conspired with cash April 4th, 2013
to deliver chocolate. April 5th, 2013

Heat, in abundance; July 4th, 2013
‘blue devils,’ a thorn’s excuse July 9th, 2013
for garden flowers. July 10th, 2013

Flight, immortal September 27th, 2013
The boy and his retriever shuttle September 28th, 2013
down Rose Crossroad, hemmed by September 29th, 2013
poison ivy in autumn scarlet, by squat junipers September 30th, 2013
cloaked in white flowers October 1st, 2013

The dog, nose to the the ground, surprises a garter sake October 2nd, 2013
threading through scrub grasses after a toad October 3rd, 2013
The child looks up into silence October 4th, 2013
A trio of vultures soars on spools of air October 5th, 2013

The dog, the boy round a bend October 6th, 2013
Approach pinions, black as velvet October 7th, 2013
Naked, abandoned on the path October 8th, 2013
Remnants in a heap October 9th, 2013

What once sought death now has found it October 10th, 2013
where footprints, pawprints weave with October 11th, 2013
tracks of deer, coyote scat, feathers October 12th, 2013
a tapestry October 13th, 2013