morning light a strand of spider web freed from its moorings

bluebird box the small space of survival

cottonwoods cluttering the air with their seeds

after the rain the dog-day cicadas start up like lawn mowers

political climate hotter than global warming

tiger lilies all orange and no drama

early august some part-time relief from a fair-weather cloud

Sulphur Springs' memorial the 100th anniversary of Missouri's worst train wreck

yesterday's rain

weather extremes the crow pointing its beak at me

traffic jam the water rising and nowhere to turn around

political ads with guns, how many children they have, and their family values

late july women protesters insulted in ways no male protester would be

the earth's spin some days wilder and shorter than others 

sunflower license plate kansas gives us hope

bird watching what's left of nature

yesterday's rain with the same refrain

Roe v Wade reversal the conservative justices ruling based on their interpretation of the Bible not the US Constitution

cuttin’ the rug at 4 am

 

ding of the microwave sometimes it’s our only conversation

January 6^th hearings the Fox ½ of America doesn’t want to hear anything

democrat or republican no matter who you vote for it only gets worse

tons of medicare literature how many trees died for this

gray rocks mossing around in the shade

school’s out the calvey creek bridge with new graffiti

gunshots and fireworks everything starts to sound the same

triple digits in mid-June the daylilies dare to bloom

the latest conspiracy maybe the boosters are giving covid-19 a boost

cuttin’ the rug at 4 am, the cat wants out, the cat wants in, the cat wants out, the cat wants in

mozart cd I invest in something that brings me peace

movie theater the farther back we go the better the seats

GHOST LEAVES

maple tree the ghost leaves from last year in the moonlight

future plans both of us running away from the same thing

red sky a cardinal's song at 11 o'clock

april news I'm tired of hearing about biden's poll numbers

a friendly reminder is a thinly guised warning

phone, lint, and some quarters found in pockets of time

car wash I'll let the rain take care of it

more fatalities the war novel without a surprise ending

fragments of news stories

passing car a groundhog stands its ground

the blank pages of a book asking me to finish it

unmade bed my quick descent into chaos

one fall day mistaken for spring

the mice nesting in fragments of news stories

paralysis too many hours start with the same sentence

tax for parks if you want service, you have to pay for it*

exercise bike I need a change of scenery

*Proposition P, Jefferson County, MO, which will most likely be defeated because Jefferson County voters almost always vote 'no' on any tax no matter what it's for.

April is the Month of Sorrows

a silent epidemic Emmilee Risling is still missing*

Tiananmen Square and Bucha April is the month of sorrows**

Xiong Yan the Chinese government neither forgives nor forgets***

clear blues skies not everyone gets a chance to enjoy spring

trees in bloom if my father were here, we'd be hiking

*Indigineous women face murder rates almost 3 times higher than white women. Friends and family of Emmilee are hoping she's still alive, and that they will find her.

**Bucha, Ukraine

***Xiong Yan was a dissident who escaped the Tiananmen Square massacre. He is running for public office. Evidently, the Chinese government feels threatened by his candidacy. They hired a private detective to frame him but that backfired.

the past curls into its grooves of darkness

pic of putin behind bars what should happen but never will

the earth's not the problem it's one foot opposing the other 

coat pockets, water, and a notebook I'm ready to wander

youth is on the greener side of the fence

flickering lights the electric bill looking up at me from the table

cedar beam the past curls into its grooves of darkness

night walk in the fog clears my head

where he used to live the bicyclist pedaling through Chernobyl