Tidal Waves

Linger under the diamond willow’s shade carry your cup of coffee in gloved hands play witness to the memories we have made and know we harbor comfort in these sands. Leaves will drift, orange-freckled, in the breeze and waver over graying grass like so to paint the picture of these changing seas the tides, theContinue reading “Tidal Waves”

Untangled

Pulling at my roots, I grapple gracefully at new growth, blessed by bees and nature’s rays and clouds whose smoky visages plump with life. Flailing at the seams, and tucked inside these dreams, I’m not frail, but free. I usually participate in the W3 prompt at the Skeptic’s Kaddish on Wednesdays, but I have decidedContinue reading “Untangled”

Changing Currents

Meander through meadows, patching puzzle pieces together into a mosaic tapestry. Wind– unwind– but don’t unravel; follow the brook’s bedrocks as they hum lazily with current through distant soothing channels toward our hazy destination. This summer, I have taken a giant leap– into a new job! I’ll still be teaching, but at the college levelContinue reading “Changing Currents”

Daydreamers

Cast off into adorable wonder free for a moment from the mysteries of plagues and missing friends and mom’s missing hair. Open starry eyes under chilled sunshine meandering through streams and chiseling dreams from sandstone pebbles and bleached birch limbs and moon-rinsed earth. This week’s W3 prompt over at the Skeptic’s Kaddish is from MichelleContinue reading “Daydreamers”

Poem: Skipping Stones

Stone smooth, gray skip freely speckled, splashed rocks. Splash drip, drop sail softly scattered, splattered falls. Today, I’ve written my first lanturne (or two!) for the Word Craft Poetry #TankaTuesday Challenge. The lanturne is a short form that grows in one syllable each line until the end; it has a syllabic pattern of 1, 2,Continue reading “Poem: Skipping Stones”

Collecting Mini Milestones

For many of us cancer survivors, the five-year mark is a huge milestone. It’s believed that if you are in remission for five years, with no evidence of disease, that you can be considered “cured”. At least tentatively. Though it does happen, it’s rare for most cancers to return after so long. Many people noContinue reading “Collecting Mini Milestones”

Poem: Forever Reader

Climbing ivory pages into alternate destinies, blooming wisdom of sages, deciphering mysteries: love surpassing the ages beyond childhood memories. Today, I decided to try out the #Whatdoyousee prompt from Sadje’s Keep it Alive blog. The prompt is to respond to the image of the child with the book. I immediately thought of my earliest memoriesContinue reading “Poem: Forever Reader”

Poem: Work in Progress

Family: work in progress. Like tree branches arching, you will grow: the forks you choose for each limb unknown until you reach the intersecting valleys, relying on gentle hands and histories. Father’s journey: tapestry of mysteries; Mother’s stories: secreted into galleries. All life’s answers unneeded to go. Love, dirt, and time; our truth will follow.Continue reading “Poem: Work in Progress”

Poem: Summer Brain

Whispered wonder under the apple tree. Branches reach down gently to brush small heads, spill emerald secrets, ivory glee, springtime mysteries eager to be read. Above, joyful clouds freckle shadows. Sun light baptizes their investigation. A zephyr sighs, twigs twirl, a gray squirrel runs, rose-breasted robins trill near the basin. Little eyes move on, butContinue reading “Poem: Summer Brain”

The Toughest Lesson

A year ago this week, I finished the last infusion in my treatment course for stage 3 breast cancer. It was technically determined that I had no evidence of disease in the fall of 2020 after six rounds of “hard chemo” and surgery. (I jokingly refer to my fall 2020-spring 2021 course as “chemo light”.)Continue reading “The Toughest Lesson”