Earth Day 2023

 Because I am here now 

on this sun drenched sphere 

awash in seas

hosting life and consciousness 

recycling every breath

I believe being is eternal

not a flash through select moments 

nor the vanishing sense of hereness

but partaking in forever

time being water 

ever slaking thirst

it is what I feel in the shadow of trees

scent of orchids and wisteria 

expanding leaves of the spring oak

hear my celebration of our planet

roll on the grass with me and my dog

find the beings described by clouds

feel the light winds

one day we will dance into the waves

swim like ocean denizens

breathe water like air 

taking in time itself 

as we and earth and sky are one 

#NaPoWriMo

#EarthDay

Plant Sense

When the garden happens inside the house

euphorbia is a live sculpture 

so sensitive it sighs to feel your breath

trembles slightly when misted 

changes color with shifting light

plants around it grow visibly overnight

flower out of season

I wish I could hear its music

you know it is there

but not for our ears 

#NaPoWriMo

#indoorgarden

Dog Sense

My dog and I survey the day

his radio telescope ears shift with sounds only he can hear

his nostrils taste the air by the spoonful

winds are coming into this stillness 

to shake petals loose 

bend all trees in supplication 

send elm seeds ascatter like snowflakes

There is a chill to the dry air

my dog pushes aside the gate 

it being a mere suggestion 

he will patrol now

collect the daily information 

I wonder 

does he sense the newest leaves

hear the earthworms casting underfoot

what do the pending winds tell him

he sits patiently collecting in all his finely tuned senses

becoming ready

in tune with this place 

#NaPoWriMo

#mydog

#Winds

Transformative Vision

The unattractive back corners of life itself 

are open to redemption 

broken hearts or back pain

abandoned dogs or stacks of rubble

are waiting for a better offer

They said the aspen would die 

that it could not grow

the aspen knew better 

perhaps the companion crimson clover

sweetens the environment 

borage from last summer draws honeybees

this is but the beginning 

Summers to come will show the rest of the experiment

figs will ripen

raspberries and blackberries clambering upon one wall

grapes overhanging another 

tent of poles and peas

within my imagining more aspen 

a veritable grove 

with a hollowed stone bath for the birds 

the ones who nest in the trembling leaves

This is the greening city

urban transformation alley by alley 

dioramas 

oases 

butterfly secrets in the gardens 

of intention

#NaPoWriMo

#urbangarden

#Transformation

A Pause in a Hammock in the Forest

What is camping in the woods

but an adventure in hammocking 

a world apart 

grove of fragrant forest

to lie suspended 

face turned to the sky 

voices of birds 

book of poems in hand to stir the mind

here is what happens

you return to your life between walls

of necessity and time frames

you bring it with you 

peace of the forest

you remember

what your soul said as you gently swung 

replenishing the goblet 

water of life 

#NaPoWriMo

#forestbathing

#feedyoursoul

Seen Before and Now Again

Deja Vu

Daily they visit the bird spa 

the white doves 

a pair, they arrive as one 

I am inside the house

alerted to their presence by flashes of white

We humans have chosen these birds

to represent peace

cooperative solutions

acceptance of that which is inevitable 

Acceptance has always been that high step

the stretch past comfort

yet peace suggests attainment of spirit

We relax into a concept

ideology of oneness

person anchored souls transmuted 

awareness become universal

freedom of pure being

#NaPoWriMo

#peace

#whitedove

A place for Artificial Intelligence

The imaginary good

it does not take the place of substance

nor fill the yearning 

but fuels the imaginings

brings us steps closer 

we can make the vision real

not only as to the garden

All around us there is healing

as elusive as paths to wellness might be

the well wielded machete does the finding

our minds do the rest 

Today my focus is wellness

we will come back to the garden

dig out the pond

there will be falling water

rather than tropical foliage 

weeping pussy willow

winter red barked maple with lacy leaves

there is no picture of it as yet

hence this facsimile stand in 

bringing its own peaceful joy 

part of the path to wellness 

#NaPoWriMo

#pond

#backyard