I am gratefully spinning on this globe called Earth:
With gentle breezes blowing on a summer afternoon.
Green grass is growing under shady trees.
Common grackles act like a gaggle of geese
As they eat the goods I provide for all wildlife.
Gray shadows of a passing gang of crows glide gently by.
A grandmother goes strolling with her grandchild in a carriage.
My geraniums are blooming red: they glow in the sun.
The green peppers are growing, ripening.
A gray cat bird sits in the golden gladiolas.
The graceful white tailed doe and twin fawns graze peacefully.
Goldfinches gather around the feeder.
Jar flies give…

I am machine! I am a super-computer. I am a word processor pounding out words one after another. I write poems, essays, articles. I sit on my front porch and write a poem about birds. OH! Such pretty birds, such pretty songs.

A car drives by. OH! I need to go get groceries. I need to go see my friend in hospice. I need to go get my allergy shot. I am thirsty, I’ll go get a drink of water. I am hungry. I will wash these dishes while I am in the kitchen. I need a shower. …

I spent the COVID-19 lockdown doing a deep dive into my family tree. As a Caucasian living in the United States this was a relatively easy task to undertake, records were easy to find, trails were easy to follow. Most of my ancestors originated in Northern and Western Europe. The farther my search went back in time, the more influential my family turned out to be.

Although I was expecting some of what I found, much was difficult to swallow. The lessons I learned while researching my family tree can be used as a mirror to look at the major…

I romanticize that I am
a stately willow tree,
swaying in the breeze,
weathering all life’s storms,
inspiring peace and encouragement
in all the world.

I aspire to be the rose
brightly colored pinks, yellows, reds,
with fragrance the world adores.
coveted by queens,
named after great lords,
used to court great ladies,
even if I do have a few thorns.

I dream of being the orchid
rare and dazzling,
hiding in the deep reaches
of every thick jungle. …

A mud dauber wasp found the perfect place
To make her nest,
To construct her organ shaped home,
To lay her precious eggs,
To continue her beautiful species’ line.
She worked hard,
Collected mud,
Carried balls on wing from the creek,
Shaped it into hollow organ pipes.
She flew over and over, trip after trip.
Her buzz was amplified
In the perfect tubes that held the eggs
That would hatch into her offspring.

I, the Poet, admired her work.
It was beautiful.
The effort was astounding.
She made music with it.

But then…
Perceiving the tiny mud dauber nest
Inside my larger…

Flowers that were planted as seeds in spring,
As tulip bulbs sprouted and bloomed,
Are long, leggy, going to seed.
They are spreading their seeds far and wide
In fluff that blows on the wind.
But still, they bloom
Bright fragrant flowers,
And will bloom until
The frost of winter finally ends their shine.

Leaves of trees look dusty,
Less bright, less lustrous,
As if somehow they know
Their time is almost done.
Soon they will fall,
But not before
A beautiful show,
One of the most beautiful shows on earth
The dogwood is always the first
To start the show;
Just a few coral colored leaves
Right…

Long ago — I was tricked by the beautiful Eros — His beauty blinded me — Eros tricked me into believing that burning love-at-first sight — existed — A trick, a lie!

I was blindfolded — But that blindness left my eyes — long ago — the God-of-Love disappeared — left me — burnt and bleeding — heart broke into pieces — shattered on the cool Earth.

The trickster that He was — His arrow pierced my heart — my soul — my mind — I was left used up — discarded and spent — crying in the Night —…

pair of late twin fawns
left in hiding by doe mom,
scared, run into sight.
stand bravely, face fearsome foe.
revealed: fluffy black stray cat.

now out of hiding
naughty twins frolic, run, play,
hide behind rock wall.
mom returns, rounds high wall end,
jumps, startled by wayward twins.