In Columbia's Gorge

wind pushes the tree
limbs hover the riverbed
while crooked roots reach
the hills wait in silence
peering through sinking clouds

Rockets Red Glare

the battle:
sparrows feed a demanding youth
yawning for more
machine gun chatter
the red burst of rhododendrons

June 25

water need not fall
clouds rest on the ground
3-D shadows
a squeeze to the sponge
and clay pots speckle

The Art of Life

I draw crayon circles
around this passing
life
evolving into maturity
abstract art

watercolors
soak the paper
waxing repellents
the crayons
keep youth alive

life
that element
everyone needs
but may not see
I draw lines in pencil

lines
sharp leads
may need smooth erasure
a forgiving paper
doesn’t tear

with pen
I spread shadows
in water
new definitions
of art released

in the wings
museum’s rest
explorations of many
everlasting
the eyes of Mona Lisa

June 5

smooth curves
on roads not travelled
budding roses
open
my desire

June 1

palmed petals
lifelines in contrast
a directive
live pink, doubled over
in laughter, the green stems sway

On the Contrary

the rise and fall
arousal
mounds of wait
and seed
how her garden grows...

On Powell Butte

stillness hangs
in the midst of wood
chalky breath
anointing the daily
search for Godot

green meets green
a meditation of leaves
fills my glance
between suburban walls
the birds sing the blues

Tangerine Picking

harvest moon
children pluck ripe fruit
Alice-style
a bowl, full of Bonsai
greets dimpled fingers

Learning to Paint

wolf's tail defines the man
goat's hair brushes
the woman
an afternoon moon
in my inkstone

Baked From Scratch

the Snicker
(covered with cinnamon hands)
Doodles
(on the cookies)
laughter on shortbread

Front and Center

there!
the last actress
on stage left
the cast exits
Lobelia waves

Point Well-Taken

a puffer fish
balloons

languorous lifts
a kaleidoscope of ocean
parts

Faith

imperceptible
the changing wind
commissions
to the mustard seed
Mt. St. Helens trembles

The Riverbed

throwing stones
skipping stones
petroglyphs dance to river music
I add another stone
to my blog

Spectrometers

quiet is misunderstood
the power of eyes is
taken
for granted, we are human
but he is the entire range of wavelengths

the pussy willow muse

uplifted in Finnish clay
splayed
where the edge of light
cannot hide, and dust
cannot change it

A New Year

dawn arrives
on the maple
seventy times seven
crescent moons germinate
in dewdrops

Trois, the Night Before...

chiming, the clocks
strike the charmed
investigations
missing French hens 
suspection of Truelove

Humble Pie

the child counts
the blackbirds
such flighty things
the offered gift
now hollow