The Shadows of Butterflies

morning drive the cornfields shortened to stubble

wildcard spot a baseball cap for the scarecrow

early fall the black snake with the same curve as the stone

september we share our walk with the millipedes

thistle to thistle the shadows of butterflies departing

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  emps

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              ll

                         over

        the                                       place

makeshift memorial this is not how the trip should end

owl whoots around the fullness of the moon

glass paperweight I hold onto your fingerprints

autumn hike the trees dwarfed by el capitan

dad's army uniform 40 years later it still fits

military hospital 10 geese flying in formation

end of the road the chicory blues waving me home

Who's Going To Test The Gorillas

neighborhood watch after midnight we follow the trucks w/o license plates

9/11 to 9/12 our journey will never be the same

hidden security cameras the squirrels are not smiling

biden mandate who's going to test the gorillas

around the world on a placemat the outdated flag of afghanistan

the china challenge as if they were announcing a new game show

catnip advisory I wouldn't walk past that chair

no moon the sycamores like the other trees now

9/11 chrysanthemums a shared day of remembrance and mourning

well-worn book cover after so many reads, the ending never changes

moth after moth

political landscape who's in charge of the changing narrative

bank pen someone's broken the chain

heat index easier to gauge than your temper

ida what soul can withstand such hammering*

woodpecker this is not a practice drill

silent sentinel a long time since there's been smoke from the chimney

moth after moth their wings make the light flicker

pandemic's success no matter which corner we turn

Hurricane Ida Devastation

august calendar I mark off the days that separate us

Fariba Nawa: An Exile Finds Home

TEDxMonterey

Every Other Line Of Me There's Something That Hurts

one i ness I lost an L or two along the way

car accident my horoscope lied to me about it being a good day

august heat the shoulder throbbing to its own music

trump rally invite how did I get on the insanity list

goldfinch survives its low flight across a 4-lane highway

last day of school 3 afghan girls walk thru the uncertainty of kabul

every other line of me there's something that hurts

shahada on the new flag what will be the women's testimony after being deserted

childhood family my voice silenced by violence

afghan tragedy words are not enough to save these women

The Taliban Returns

latest diagnosis my body has a shelf life