Clickbait

We live a few blocks away 

 From the county fairgrounds, 

And the fair will be arriving 

 This coming weekend, 

So, for some reason I fail to understand, 

This giant inflatable dinosaur 

 Now greets all passers by. 

He’s handsome, to be sure, and hard to miss, 

But I’m not sure what he communicates. 

Perhaps he’s what’s known as an influencer, 

Pumping increasingly irrelevant information out 

In hopes of getting noticed? 

Or simply more fake news; click bait, 

Designed to make us look, or even fear, 

Apparent sound and fury, but signifying nothing? 

Or like a a trickster politician — or a blogger — 

Drawing attention to false assumptions 

 And then shouting, “Made you look!” 

 So we all feel foolish…

Hidden in the fog

The truth, what’s real, 

Lies hidden in the fog, 

Unnamed, unbroken,

 A mystery revealed 

In the oneness of what’s not there, 

Yet still we search, and sift, and ponder, 

Seeking answers 

 To the unanswerable questions…

Life’s a wheel

Like this thistle, life’s a wheel: 

Always turning, some parts painful, 

Some parts beautiful, 

Some parts dark, and others bright as stars —

 Each moment passes, leading to the next 

In progression as we’re born, and grow, 

 Release the seeds of what comes next, 

Then fade…

Wildfire season

Walking back from our evening stroll 

In this cool, green, pleasant land, 

Along the cliff we love so well, 

We noticed that the sunset’s nightly cast 

Of rose upon Mount Baker’s snow 

Was being echoed, off to the right,

 By a curious cloud formation 

Hovering over a nearby hill. 

What could it be? A thundercloud? 

A raging wildfire, or an explosion?

 A quick look at the wildfire map 

Gives a possible answer to our question, 

And prayers rise up for endangered woodlands,

 Imperiled wildlife, and all whose homes 

And livelihoods are threatened…

Benevolent gaze

Yesterday, when we walked to the mailbox, 

Six deer followed us down the driveway:

 Three bucks, a doe, and two fawns. 

It’s hard not to feel a sense of kinship 

With these beautiful creatures;

 Their gaze feels so benevolent…

Red sun rising

Glimpsed through the trees, 

The red sun rising ignites the sky above, 

Broadcasting light to every corner 

Of the heavens; an invitation 

 To trust that whatever troubles we imagine 

Might be easily overcome by powers greater 

Than we humans can begin to comprehend…

X marks the spot!

"Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale 

Her infinite variety” 

Though speaking of Cleopatra, 

Shakespeare must have been inspired 

By the infinite variety and fascinating charm 

Of the daily parade of beauty that is nature…