Ave Maria on the Lake A raft full of sheep is a strange sort of temple; yet this is where the morning bell finds them, golden notes carrying across golden water in the golden dawn. They bow their heads, and pray the familiar words, recalling how the angel of the Lord appeared to the virgin […]
Bud Within the spear’s tip winter’s foe is curled leaves’ lace, spring’s green world. Red petals sleeping in a cozy nest soon will spring, leaping. #withdraw2020
Perpendicular In Merson’s Rest on the Flight into Egypt Joseph’s dwindling fire sends up a fine white line of smoke into the dim sky. Perfectly perpendicular to the horizon’s dark blur, it makes a small cross, easily overlooked. But to my mind that detail is as important as the sphinx’s upturned face staring blindly into […]
The pond is a perfect mirror spreading its cloak to catch the sky’s falling image. As a woman will spread her skirt while the children shake apples down from the tree. The stars plop gently into the water plinking like frogsong, little silver specks of light. And yet somehow the sky looks no dimmer — […]
The girl stands patient, her head bowed, resigned against the tug, braced against the braiding in the room’s red glow. Mother sings soft words that make no sense. The comb parts the flowing hair diving through the waves in a straight white line. The part leaves the girl’s nape bare to warm sun’s kissing beam […]
Someday I will travel to distant Corfu And see for myself the house that has no walls only light and shadow inexplicably dancing in planes here and there so as to suggest that maybe once there were walls or one day there might be but today if you are waltzing by the shore what you […]
Hands Before you were born I tried to imagine your hands– Wee fingers wrapped around mine. Tried to imagine your face. But what mind Could contain the wholeness of your person? Ancient kingdoms, foreign lands Were easier to fathom. Who could imagine the perfect anemone unfolding Grasp how impossibly small!? How could such little fingers […]
Share I’ve had my share of sorrows. I’ve had my share of joys. Sorrows that swirl like starlings darkening the blue like a noisy cloud. They swoop and overtake a tree, filling its branches with their crying. Then rise together and depart over the houses. Joys that soar and dive like an osprey splashing into […]
Sir Patrick Stewart has embarked on a spontaneous project to read through Shakespeare’s sonnets— so far one of my favorite instances of the outflowing of creativity that is whiling away the time in this season of plague/quarantine/social distancing.* And… to my shame, I’ve never actually sat down and read the sonnets. I know a few […]
Spread ‘You spread your table before me…’ As the sun spreads its warmth on the sleeping land— As the crocus spreads her petals— As the maples unfurl their leaves— As the white pine flings its yellow pollen. . . As the bees forage far and wide seeking nectar for the hive— As the mother duck […]