What Shall We Celebrate Today?

70 mph winds so many new catalpa leaves gone

it only takes a second to get a steam burn from cooking 

defunding the library how about we defund the politicians 

ribbons and roses to mark the site of another mass shooting

cleansing history until the facts are all nice and sanitized

first crop of dandelions proving I can grow something

stray cat's jump splashes me with creek water

worn out barns I'm no good at weathering the storms

lost again nothing better than the pine-scented rain

The Hickory Trail

hike number 11 I've lost count of my footsteps

homeless meth addicts another part of rural america forgotten

earthquake survivors "be silent so you can hear them"

wind advisory the sway of trees some standing some broken

Chinese spy balloon the weather got a little rough off the Carolina coast

Santos' embellishments just a reflection of those around him

the hickory trail a wayward dryer sheet caught by a thorn bush

spring tidings that bluebird look of "one step closer and I'll fly off"

upgraded vending machines no longer accepting our change

Mozart and Beethoven the music teacher's cats asleep on the window sill

sunset I think I'll stop here for a while

car repair estimate February starts with January's ice

January 2023

a "right as rain" storm refills the pond

fortune cookie the tea has gotten cold

moonless night I miss the light of your smile

leave me alone says the swish of the cat tail

taxing January the year-in-review forms trickle in

calendar change caribou crossing the snow

new year's day it's how every day starts

washing away the dirt from my last road trip the winter rain

Somewhere in the Cattails

leaky faucet the mid-term results keep trickling in

snow predictions rush hour will be longer than an hour

red-winged blackbird a trill hidden somewhere in the cattails

impeach biden on the truck with a georgia license plate

contrail the airspace getting ready for trump's big announcement

sunset the shadows grow until they disappear

the good evening moon introduces itself

sleep rehearsal I'm one owl hoot away from my dreams

rescue mission

music lesson the cricket's impeccable timing

good morning, humidity! the steamiest thing in my life right now is this window

transister radio he saved everything including me

let's do this again says the sinkful of dirty dishes

a party of dragonflies after the rain

night terrors the cat decides when I should sleep

mojave desert a flash flood wider than the rio grande

rescue mission more milkweed for the monarchs

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