Chincoteague Watercolor

Great blue heron stands in still water peers past reflection foraging for fish. Indistinct clouds beyond bare trees; amber swamp grass stands at attention, all reflected in water. The only motion, ripples where a yellow leg descended before we arrived. He will pose for hours, this great blue heron, until dinner swims by— then he …

Cherry Tree in April

Dark bark striated trunk branches threaded with telephone wire. Red-and-green buds swell, open into pink blossoms. Thousands of powder puffs erupt like popcorn. Stark sticks vanish in a cotton candy cloud.

Jigsaw Puzzle

Time is an attic full of curious shapes preserved until the moving van returns. Then I must choose again what I will keep and what to leave behind. This cardboard box contains the meaning of my life so far collected thoughtfully against the time I might detect a trend from yesterdays. Before I throw it …

Moon Day in Winter

The tide came in so fast, whole years vanished— a blur of projects and relationships swept away. The everlasting beach retains uniform ripples, brain waves in sand. Think of February days as present time, a gift of snow-white hours, unfettered moments. Welcome the suspect pause as growing space; the body in transformation wins its birthright. …

January Thaw

I tried using the new Gutenberg editor. Like the old editor, it does not allow me to copy from my inventory of formatted poems, so I must retype them one line at a time. Also, the new editor ignores SHIFT-ENTER and inserts blank lines where they do not belong. As a result, I am back …