Spring Forth

a midnight rainstorm
brought early this raging creek
and stole seed-planting

yet, cycle views burst
with blossoms of spring color
saving the lost day

Halfway There

my perfect symbol: 
trying so hard for peaches
even while dying

graduation day
bleeds into normal doldrums
(life's quick, painful truths)

she graduates now
my baby girl, all grown up
in this Red Rock Land

there's no heartbreak here
just my girl, eighteen years old,
ready to face them

sneakers underneath
(pandemic proms are outdoors,
under tents, in grass)

she's taller, braver.
in her silver floor-length gown,
she masters the night

and aren't we a crowd?
this master-mix of humans,
standing on these rocks?

unsinkable us
right below the Molly Brown
(ready to swim. Win.)

vaccines could save us
(yet not from the ignorance
spread without needles)

rainy Mother's Day
(cantaloupe aches for planting)
my babies: plants, pets

self-portrait art show
for my two youngest daughters
sunflower, glass shine

first day of first job
(the best COVID milestone)
let us shed this slump

blooming badminton
(a few moments of teen peace
before bickering)