Ladder

If ever there came a time
To get
immediately
dressed
It was this morning
When the ladder appeared
Outside my bedroom window.

Weather headlines

Weather headlines
I continue to read them,
Listen to them,
So I know
What to expect.
They say
It will be cooler
This weekend
Though, of course,
We will see
What comes
We always see
What comes
Weather headlines
Don't always know
The outcome.

Entertaining angels

How do I entertain
Angels?
What do they drink?
What do they eat?
Do they like
Juggling routines?
I am not so good
At juggling
Do they prefer
Other entertainment
Oh please
Tell me how to entertain
Angels
Help me be aware
When they cross
My path.

Tiara

The Pork Queen helped a sow
Deliver her piglet
In Iowa,
Tiara and all.
What will it mean
When we no longer
Have queens or tiaras
Or are they slated
To be with us
Forever?
Queens down and dirty
Delivering piglets
A good beginning.

Same inside

The house acquires
A new skin
New eyes
To see.
The inside remains
The same.
The air rings
With Polish.
In other neighborhoods
Spanish echoes.
In ours
It's Polish
Same inside
Different language

Half vees

The geese practice
In half vees
Who will be
The leader?
How do they tell
When the time comes?
When the full vee
Time comes
Who will lead?
Who would rather
Trail behind
Let someone else
Take the full force
Of the wind
In the beak.

Earlier and earlier

The mail comes
Earlier and earlier
Every day
There is no predicting
When the mailbox
Opens
Then shuts
Brings with it
Its surprises
Of the day,
Earlier and earlier
Every day
Until earlier
Is no longer possible
It must go back
To the beginning
Again.

All the signs

When rain is coming
The backyard gets restless
Rabbits
Hop from one side
Of the yard
To the other
A squirrel stows
A piece of bread
In the handle
Of our trash bin
Just in case
Just in case,
Birds take
A final dust bath
Before the dust
Disappears.
The rain is coming
Surely it's coming.
All the signs
Are here.

Qarrtsiluni

The Inuit
Know darkness.
They also know the importance
Of company
There.
They have much
To teach us,
We who believe
We can do it all
Ourselves
By ourselves.

Butterfly time

It's butterfly time
Monarchs mass
Figure when they will go
To Mexico
Hang out
For that brief time
They have.
Butterflies don't live long.
They have so little time
To pass on
Their butterfly knowledge
Before others
Take over.
Then it's time again
To repeat
The cycle.
It's butterfly time
Monarchs mass.

And then there was light

And then
There was Light
The Light could only
Be seen
Apart
From the darkness
All creation requires
Some separation
In order to see things
As they are.
In order to hear things
As they are.
The Foley artist
Who is God
Creates sound effects
Creates lightning flashes
To go
With all the aspects
So we hear
So we see
And say Oh
Now I get it
Now I get it
And then
There was Light.

Morphed

One book has morphed
Into two.
At least.
At least
Into two.
I thought I was working on
One.
Books grow
Like Topsy.
I used to read
Two or three
At a time
Now I can barely
Write one
Much less read
One.

Aaron and Hur

Aaron and Hur
Don't get enough press.
They allowed Moses
To hold up his arms
When he got tired.
When the Israelites
Were losing the battle
It was all connected.
Aaron and Hur
Moses
Joshua
The Israelites
The Amalekites
The battle.
Aaron and Hur
Found the rock,
Sat Moses down,
Held up his arms
With the staff.
They don't get
Near enough credit
For their part
In the story.

Dust bath

The sparrows
Remind me
It's the time of year
for a dust bath.
They find joy
In dust.
Travel before roads
Were paved
Meant dust
People wore
Dusters
Goggles
Dust was part
Of the joy
Of travel
The movement from here
To there
Dust
Always dust.
The sparrows
Remind me.
There is joy
In dust.