Mountain Air

A rainbow of petals in all shapes and sizes


Floating alongside a mountain stream

Lupines standing in tall spires of hot pink

Irises in deep purple majesty

Stalks of green boasting heads of golden sunshine

Kaleidoscope changing in the breeze

A delightful dance of fluttering flowers

Inciting my reverie in the mountain air.

Autumn Splendor

A carpet of fire beneath bare maples


Guardians of the country house:

A stucco building with balconies of green

Tucked neatly near the forest’s edge

A memory of hide and seek among the trees

Children’s laughter, feet shuffling through leaves

Playing “Romeo and Juliet” with cousins

Singing in rounds of Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Watching squirrels collect their treasures

Catching grasshoppers in the tall grass

Warming up in front of the fireplace

With a mug of hot cocoa steaming

Grandma telling a story from days gone by

Autumn splendor for a holiday.

Forest Floor

This is below, a tunnel into fantasy


A land within the roots of reality

Beneath the trees, beneath the soil

Enchanted by the wee folk all

With vibrant green, moss and soil

Creatures that above the ground annoy

Though here they rule and give direction

Where no light sheds insight, haven,

But here, there is harmony, insulation,

From the tension, from the rat race

From the foolhardy neediness of above.

All is provided here, the nurturing,

The blessings of peace beneath the forest floor.

Aged

The aged man sits, contemplating eddies


That spiral at the river’s edge

His long beard cascading about his knees,

As he rests and reaches down

Juggling the stones about his toes.

He has been here before.

He will come here again

To sit, to think, to reflect

Upon younger days, decisions made,

Thoughts that have wandered through his mind

On cold days when he was busy

Challenging life to a duel.

But now, life nearly over for him,

His thoughts are on the next world

And what paths to travel once there.

Waiting for Tires

A slow leak made my tire low


So in to the gomeria I went

I told the clerk my problem

And I gave him my set of keys

The red seats were barely full

I wouldn’t have long to wait I thought.

But one by one each of the seats filled

Lots of people buying tires before first snow.

I looked around at each stern face

Some talking to a neighbor,

Some tilting heads, evaluating the tires on display.

At length I pulled out my phone

To play Free Cell and pass the time

The room became strangely quiet

I thought I was in another world

People came and went, clerks calling a name

When their new tires were ready to test.

Twenty rounds of Free Cell I had played

And my name was called from behind a stack of tires.

Good! I could go home and have supper.

Love

Elevation to the highest height


Humility to the smallest low

The merry-go-round expresses these

Though we may never accept it so.

But opening the heart, vulnerable,

You can’t be certain the opportunist

Won’t stomp you into dust, cinders,

Though you gain little to show a fist.

Giving, caring, sharing, the sages teach

Trusting in the Higher Power we beseech

The Light, come the flood waters or sun

Trust and goodness within our reach.

An arrow of intention we send above

Branded in the Master’s name: Love.

Eyes Closed

I walk a path that exists only in my mind


A place of calm and quiet and serenity

Where I have the truest friends

The timeworn spirits always near.

We walk and talk and sing the day away

Visiting those who have gone on

And trusting that the springtime will bring

Renewal to our hearts and souls.

We wade through turquoise waters

We beat back jungle brush

We climb unscalable rock faces

And sit atop the mountain in campfire light

Telling stories, sharing laughter

Listening to the wild sounds of the earth

The crickets, the coyotes, bears and beavers

Creatures of the night keeping the balance

All the while my eyes are closed.