Take the slow way home along River Road.
Rest on the shoulder, marvel at the canopy of clouds.
Half and Half
Two trees at the entrance to the woods
mark the dividing line between sun and shade.
Fuzzy Rock
Baby squirrel
hides behind his tail
braving predators for sunshine.
Logged
Along a dusty road
the trees leave the mountain.
Saved
A web of branches
catches the pinecone
just before its snowy landing.
Golden Willow
In the midst of winter,
the willow shines its golden light.
This is where the fairies dance at night.
Wild Aster
Beloved daisy
cheerful even without color or summer.
Angle of Repose
Leaves find their resting place
in the place between.
Holding On
The hand of Winter holds tight to the roof
its icicle fingers curled under the eve.
Frozen Wetland
Cold paints a picture in tans and greys and white.
Wind is the painter’s muse.
Transformation
Snow like sand
in threads of grass.
Spring approaches.
Haute Couture
This birch wears it’s bark like a Dior dress,
sublime are it’s structure and details.
Sabbath
The shadow of a trinity of trees across rock
marks one of many spots to worship in the woods.
Visitors
Morning light reveals
hooves crossing the bridge from the forest into the yard
during the quiet of the night.
Reading Signs
Pampas grass flags
document the speed and direction of the wind.
Nest
Winter laid an egg of snow
for March to roost upon
we’ll count the days until the hatch
of finely feathered spring.
Before the Storm
the sky gathers greyness and weight
and pushes itself upon us blanketing us with
anticipation in the stillness and the stirring smell of approaching snow.
Hydrangea
As you hover on the edge of Spring,
your youthful summer color is long departed
and in its stead stands the eloquence of aging with grace.
Wide Sky
The southern wind announces Spring is on her way to us.
These clouds are ruffles on her petticoats.
Mountains beyond Mountains
You may recognize the mountain by name or shape
but to truly know her is to walk the contours of her mass,
to watch her reveal the secrets of the seasons,
to remember and to feel the spirits of all the other feet
who have touched her and whose hearts have found home.
Frozen Memory
I dreamed of the marsh in winter
and saw tawny wheat growing in sand as soft as a cloud.
Two Trees
These trees wear their limbs
like curly haired twins.
Sugaring
First the sap runs, then drum drum drums
drop by drop into the buckets.
Soon to be simmered, then rolling boiled into maple syrup.
Oh that sweet sweet nectar of the mountain.
Paradise
resides right outside my window.
Stand of Birch
Their feet close together
the birch stand shoulder to shoulder
weathering all seasons.
Jacob’s Brook
Before Me
Red flags in a blue sky
reminders to
stop for beauty.
Sunbeam
Illumination comes from above
lighting that which lies within.
Tundra
This winter’s frozen landscape
turns the familiar field into an alien surface
the dark side of the moon.
Winter Conspiracy
Comrades of the cold
the trees and the river share and keep
their secrets of the silent season.