Winter’s Remorse

solitary slope
 freshly groomed, chickadees’ tweets,
 a good way to end
 
 but ice plagued the runs
 with snow that just wouldn’t fall
 no matter how cold
 

With Wings We Fly

cold mountainside gusts
 in divine aspen grove trails
 sweep snow under skis.
 
 later, only sun
 and a waterfall vista
 to mark spring’s return.
 
 a cloudy sunset
 reminds me of emptiness
 that lies here. and there.
 

Be a Bird

if you want to fly
 leave your poles at the bottom
 and lift up your wings
 

Cultural Shift

behind closed curtains
 every American dream
 stays hidden from view
 
 what my students see:
 cold-shouldered isolation
 as their new welcome
 
 (i walk home to lights
 brightening the welcome mat
 for all who enter)
 
 

Uncovered Territory

your statement blocks me
 as cold as this ground cover:
 fighting against spring
 
 i want the blossoms
 from the newly-planted trees
 to save me from this,
 
 to float on a breeze
 of similar desires
 that could bring us home
 
 (not this gray fabric
 stunting all life from below,
 constipated spring).
 
 i want soft petals,
 lilting with the seasoned wind,
 ready to escape.
 

Take a Bite

faith is found in food
 connecting cultures, caring:
 life’s love remedy
 

Coup d’Etat

who is this traitor
sitting in my mother’s chair
where we were once queens?

Checking Off

we could predict life
 by list banalities
 that make up our days
 

Seasoned

juxtaposition:
 spring flowers versus bare limbs–
 a climate matchup
 


trapped behind this jail
 of untruths that fill our days
 and weaken our hope
 
 let’s let blooms be blooms
 breaking through the glass ceilings
 that trap us from truth
 

I Thought the West Was Left

never thought i’d hear
 Ivanka in the west wing–
 demagogue ruler