Wednesday, January 2, 2019

JANUARY 2019


At the gloaming
murmuration of blackbirds
commas in the sky

***

Sitting silently looking out
into the gathering night
our softly glowing windows
warm beacons of comfort
how often have I looked 
at homes lit cozily while
driving home on a winter night
wondering about the lives lived within


Wires are humming
avian chatterboxes eagerly
sharing happenings of their day


At the edge of my vision
something captures the eye
turning my head swiftly
tip of a large luminous wing
slips behind the mountain
divine visitation by angels
or just a random moment of grace


Perched high above
on gnarled winter branches
he preens then pauses
just long enough
as if to see what we
were looking at
sensing no danger
he then calmly resumes
tidying his feathers
readying himself for the hunt


***


Cotton candy clouds
swirl around the hills
inviting us to visit


How many did it shelter
once upon a time
keeping all warm and dry
one can almost sense
it's history when long ago
sweet hay was stacked above
warm bodies side by side
knee deep in straw down below 
barn cats rolled tightly
dreaming at their feet
family of barn owls nesting
high in the rafters
just a rusty shell now
timbers slowly failing
leaning under the weight
of the leaking roof
as we drive past sadness settles
long history left to crumble
lost in a world no longer
connected heart and soul
no longer honoring cycles
of nature...it's all about the money


Each day we struggle
as the unbalanced center's actions 
have far reaching effects for all of us
fearing that we are reaching the point of no return

~Photo by Karen Schorno

***

Along the roadside
quicksilver streamlets glitter
on rolling range lands
vernal pools fill to the brim
ready for spring peepers
today mountains and sky
reflect on the smooth surface
shimmering like a mirage
magic portal to a parallel world

***
Entering the house soaking wet
driven indoors by the wind
Blue Jays scatter and shriek in
protest against the wild thrashing
of their evening roosting trees
fierce storm soaks and unsettles
even here indoors we can hear
pines howling in the wind
seeing their tall trunks bending
low in the storm...in our mind's eye

***

Surfacing from vivid dreams
into a strange silence
storm's roar stilled for now
silver light streaming
brightly spilling onto my pillow
walking as if in a dream
out into the nearly silent night
silvered rags of storm torn clouds
scuttle north revealing Luna
to the far west flashes of lightening
wide awake now sitting here
watching the fire flicker in the hearth
listening to the cuckoo announce two o'clock

***

While creatures in our oceans perish
stomachs bloated filled with plastic
or limbs entangled unable to swim
doomed to drown sinking to the bottom
of our increasingly plastic littered oceans
who then are these people mourning
not the precious lives lost but instead only
saddened by the loss of plastic conveniences

***

Even up here we hear it's roar
muddy dragon churning along
devouring creek banks tearing
up all in it's path small trees now
swallowed by the stormy beast
feeble arms flaying desperately
above the roiling foamy current
trying to hang on for dear life
will young roots be strong enough
anchored deep enough to win
rising once more when waters recede

***

Outside our windows
shimmering droplets tremble
on winter bare branches
hilltop pines are swathed in veils
drifting in and out of sight
low clouds descend on the ridges
creating a watery image of our world


 Luminous setting moon
set in smudged graphite
celestial jewel


Diaphanous
slowly revealing
first honeyed rays
on the towering pines
FOG


Walking through the fog
under Luna's watchful eye
early morning laundry


Winter rains
reveal nature's wonders
minute universe


Ivory tower rises
above kingdom of fae
magic landscape

***

Waves of quail
rush up the canyon
incoming tide

***

Flying jewel hovers
ruby throat shimmering
while slender tongue
eagerly extracts sweetness
then gone in the blink
of an eye...only to return

***

On cold winter mornings
squirrels must sleep in
only now do they appear
playing tag around the oak
before settling in for breakfast


Tender promise
peering from a widening crack
shiny Buckeye conker


As I start peeling potatoes
looking deep into their eyes
torn from the soil yet even now
still filled with life seemingly
determined to resume their mission
procreate by forcing blind eyes
tiny rootlets test the air searching
alas it's all in vain the end is near
this empathy for vegetables
omnivores dilemma takes a dark turn


Requiem for a potato
***
Honoring the humble spud
though death came for it at last
here it rests in the afterlife
lovingly enhanced by aromatic
herbs and spices toes of garlic
generous dab of golden butter
then the piece de resistance
silken rich Creme Fraiche
ooh la la entering potato heaven


Crisp winter morning
first rays illuminate
snow diamonds sparkle
blueish shadows
divide pristine whiteness
paw prints yet another
layer of loveliness
first morning excursion
mayhap nocturnal visitor's trail
silently roaming on a still winter night

~Photo by Karen Schorno


Graphite smudged sky
springlike day soon morphed
into chilly winter night


Sun slips away
in a mackerel spring sky
faint scent of violets

***

Gray squirrel
rides birdseed carousel
tail twitching furry paws busy

***

Gray squirrel
scurries down one trunk
then up another sudden change of venue

***

Gray squirrel emerges
furiously scratches an annoying itch
then leaps back into his ride


Periwinkle morning sky
tangled in branches
star kissed crescent moon