Swan Lake Sanctuary

I have stood

At this makeshift altar

Where arborists preach

To the clueless and converted

The lake below

Was once a dumping ground

For the old winery’s dregs

Or so I have heard

Here, eagles, blackbirds, ducks, geese

But no swans,

Find sanctuary,

Mating for life

This is where he and I came,

Him capturing me

Through his lens

Somehow he saw into the future

Our bodies facing each other

Saying, “I will plant myself

Here with you”

Letting our roots intertwine

See what grows;

We both shifted our schedules

To be here,

Altered our agendas,

Let the past sink

Into the dark earth;

Around our feet,

Tumble petals

From aged bouquets

Of ruby and rose      

---

October 4, 2017

Mara Sang

The lighthouse

shuttles light 

by the cellophane sea

A mermaid

mimics moonlit waves

in a maillot

of aquamarine 

From the frothy white,

a nymph's hymn

collars sea dogs 

to get tangled up
in a mirage  

A sea-foam symphony 

births a bright goddess of love

ascending from
transcending tides
the stars, her brilliant

camouflage

---

October 2, 2017

                                 

Cherish the Question Mark (From Mary Oliver's poem Everything)

Cherish the question mark,

The curve of uncertainty,

The open-ended endings,

The life punctuated with mystery

Go on a quest
For the what and wherefores

The who, how, when
And incessant whys

Send your gumshoes
To the delve into sewers,

Your sleuths,

To eavesdrop on the skies

Ponder the imponderables,

Rest in the tension

Of the vast unknown

Don’t peek at the answer key,

Or flip to the last chapter
Because if you do...       

---
October 18, 2017

Before We Were Born

Before we were born,
our parents had lives,
my father, a battalion of friends
to carouse with,
strangers in photographs
perhaps visitors in my memories
"My, how you've grown"
Do I know you?

These people are foreign,
laughing and dancing, 
their gin glasses gauging empty,
their mouths bursting
like they swallowed the stars,
sparkling smiles and carefree
not an apron string in their midst,
their shoes tossed on the floor, 
footless, with laces relaxed
and unfettered,
before we were born
---
October 15, 2017

Developing From the Negative

She remembers nightmares,

some imagined, some real,

the bullies who splattered her

with tomatoes and abuse

and the dark night 

when her father stormed 

through the house,

and the black cloud 

that hovered for years 

over her rickety attic 

There were glimpses of radiance 

that she could tangibly access,

like the yearbook photo

with her profile awash in light

through her English teacher's lens;

he had read her lackluster poems 

to the 8th grade class, 

one about a funeral for a squirrel;

death was a prominent theme

even as she stepped off the curb

She never saw what was coming,

her moving away from small town minds,

her inspiring daughter's convocations,

her visiting her in divergent homes 

her encouraging circle of friends,

her embracing marriage, finally,

her writing with a polished professor,

her reciting her published words,

her learning from experience, 

her looking directly into the light 

---

September 28, 2017

Blood, Sweat and Tears

We are composed of
More water than not
First we slide down
The Fallopian tube
Then float 
In amniotic ooze, 
Incubating,
Not imagining 
What waits beyond 

This is where we all come from
But where we get to from there,
How viable our vision 
Depends on how hard
We are willing to push

And our crowns 
Are flooded with light 
---
September 20, 2017

Coming to a City Near You

She always had curious fingers

One morning I rose 
To find her pawing the floor,
On the lam from her crib;
She screamed for adventure 
I foolishly taught her to walk

One day when she was five
She strode to the store for Skittles
Without a penny in her pocket,
Or waiting for me, 
Or writing her itinerary;
I was, needless to say, in shock

Anguish led to astonishment
At her safe return;
Was it while she learned her ABC's,
That she started scribbling
Africa, Barcelona, Chicago
On the blackboard with chalk?

Along with postcards, 
She now collects postal codes,
Exploring provinces and regions 
Where, soon to be, legions of students
Are touched by her knowing heart;
I'm not, in the least bit, shocked 
---
September 20, 2017