The invitation

The invitation’s always there: 

To step away from a busy day, 

To sit at the edge of the sun-dappled lawn 

 And watch the waves roll in 

To refresh the thirsty beach below; 

To look beyond immediacy 

To the islands in the distance, and dream…

The eve of destruction

My husband took this picture 

(I feel honor bound to say) 

Of yet another branch (Our third this month) 

The deer have broken from our trees. 

And, sure enough, guilty but unrepentant,

 This handsome miscreant told his friends, 

And all the leaves on the branches 

And the apples that had fallen

 Were all eaten by the end of the day; 

I guess this means autumn’s on its way.

Craving consensus

The stark contrast 

Between the white buildings 

And the dark sea and sky 

Is so pleasing, so riveting. 

I wonder if it satisfies 

Something in us that craves a world 

In which black and white, 

Right and wrong, 

Are clearly obvious to all…

The path you choose

Most of us know that feeling: 

To be outside looking in; 

To know you’ve something to offer, 

But folks are listening to someone else; 

The prophet unappreciated 

 In his own home town… 

The path you choose — 

 To speak up anyway, to leave, 

Or to pull into yourself — 

Will frame not only your future, but theirs.

The best way to heal

Sometimes the best way to heal 

Or even just to deal 

Is to be still, and to remain in light; 

To quietly appreciate 

 The warmth of a summer’s day 

And to trust, however briefly, 

That, for the moment, all is well.

Tangled web

“Oh, what a tangled web we weave 

When first we practice to deceive” 

Is what my mama used to say, 

And never has it seemed so obviously true. 

What does it tell you, that when I see 

This tangled mass I think of politicians?

When bullying fails

Here’s a photo I never expected to take: 

 Two hawks on a madrona branch. 

 But, like a fisherman, I wish you could see 

The one that got away, because 

Before I could get my camera out, 

The hawk on the left was chasing a squirrel 

 In circles around the base of a tree, 

Wings out, and screeching. 

Luckily, the squirrel was able 

To escape into the bushes — 

Which may be why the hawk’s now hiding his head: 

His bullying tactics have failed.