Herd Immunity

For us to develop

Herd immunity

First we must agree

To see ourselves

As part of the herd

Do our part

He Will Not Go Quietly

He will not go quietly

He will not go 

Diplomatically

Diplomacy was never

A strong suit

Yet we sent him

All over the world

As our face

As our voice 

Now

When he doesn't get his way

By bluster

He has nothing else

In his quiver

Now 

He stands

On the outside

Shooting arrows

In

He will not go quietly

St. Philip and St. James

I was ordained

As a lady in red

Red suit

Red vestments

I drew the line

At nail polish 

The color of the day

Was red

So I wore red

Yes

Red shoes as well

Red Bathrobe

She fills her feeders

The lady in red

The snow melts

She believes the ducks

Can fend for themselves

I imagine her

Looking out

Her back window

Binoculars trained

Bird book

In lap 

Maybe her bathrobe

Is red as well

I imagine her

One with

The cardinals

The Earth is a Golf Ball

The Earth is a golf ball

When we crack the first layer

There are more layers

Underneath

Just so

The Earth is a golf ball

One layer offers 

Miles and miles

Of rubber band

Meant to be unwound

Just so

 

The Earth is a golf ball 

Only magma underlies

If we pierce the skin

No rubber band

Only lava appears

Just so

The Earth is a golf ball

Will we ever 

Reach the core

I tried once

Gave up

Just so

Waiting for the Vaccine

We'll call you 

They say

Wait your turn

They say

Meanwhile I have registered

In three counties

Made more than my share

Of phone calls

Internet searches

They say

West Virginia has its act

Down pat 

We'll call you

Wait your turn

Have you checked here

Have you checked there

Perhaps a road trip

To West Virginia

Barely Into Lent

Barely into Lent

The wilderness remains chill

Air frigid and dry

 

Relative Coldness

Minus 35 in Hibbing yesterday

We always used to compare

How much better we had it

In Minneapolis

Where it was just below zero

International Falls was

Minus 37

For sure it was colder

Than Minneapolis

At minus 17

Here in Chicago

It was somewhat warmer

Still

Texas was not clad

For this weather

Even in the forties

Fallow (A Villanelle)

The fields lie fallow for the coming of Lent

Snow covers all that waits for spring

Under the cold is autumn spent

 

We wait for Easter when new life is meant

The fields return to gold and green

For now, fields lie fallow for the coming of  Lent

 

Before Easter the veil is rent

First things first,  that's the thing

Under the cold is autumn spent

We understand little but soon a dent

Little by little we humans bring

Fields lie fallow for the coming of Lent

 

The smell of spring is but a scent

We long for the odor while on the wing

Under the cold is autumn spent

 

We leave behind the days unspent

 Snow covers all that waits for spring

The fields, they're fallow for the coming of Lent

Under the cold is autumn spent

Crack of Dawn

It spreads across the sky

Out the window

Soon blob of sun

In the middle

But first

Only a lightening

Where the blob would appear

The crack of dawn

An egg cracked

Its yolk soon spread

To the corners

Of the morning

 

 

 

Full-time Life

Part-time life

Does not exist

Life just depends

On what we fill it

With

It is always filled

With something

Today builds on

Yesterday

And the day before

Part-time life

Does not exist

If we but pay attention

We will see

What happened yesterday

And it counted

As full

Interchangeable?

What are the differences among

Counselors

Coaches

Spiritual directors

Is it all

In the training

In the sitting

In the attention paid

Are they sometimes

Interchangeable

Do they all sit

At the feet

Of different masters

Different mistresses

Or do some find their way

Alone

 

 

Three Things Scheduled

Three things scheduled

Two cancelled

Perhaps I will make

The soup I considered

Last week

The house will smell

Fragrant

Dinner will be ready

Earlier

Than usual

Perhaps the soup

Will be better

Tomorrow

It always tastes better

The next day

Then biscuits

With real butter

 

Wombats

Wombats poop in cubes

I'm sure

There are people

Who specialize

In all parts

Of wombats

They do have

Cute faces

It would never

Occur to me

To research

The other end