It All Falls Down

we can’t have autumn 
without the vibrant colors 
of all that is lost

trees casting shadows 
that can’t be hidden by cats
seasonal comfort

Silver Anniversary Trip, Day Twenty-one

a calming cycle
on a rails-to-trails flat path:
way to start the day

more history learned 
at a medieval castle 
built, burned, lost, rebuilt

my man boating us
back down the river, towards home
our heritage left

a castle day trip
cycling on sketchy roads
yet worth the visit

hidden Irish gems:
four hundred years of earls
residing in stone

science surprises:
this telescope discovered 
distant galaxies

and Bruce got to stand
in the largest redwood grove
outside the U.S.

night ends with laughter
in a 1500s pub
kindness in their blood

we’re the post office:
through wind, rain, sleet, clouds… weather
we weather the storm

just another day
in the life we’ve created 
in sickness and health

botanic gardens
will forever be compared
to Monte’s beauty

tropical magic
trees and blooms of every shade
giving us NO shade

two thousand years old:
a tree planted by Romans
to bring us olives

on all future trips
beating Madeira? so hard
blue-green amazement

1.8 million:
the years laurel has lived here
giving life to all

enchanted forest:
the only words to describe 
Madeira’s true gold

traditional homes
give homage to these laurels
simple thatched roofs

a magical place
waits for you on this island 
hidden in the sea

ten thousand stone steps
slippery at dawn, at noon 
as mist never stops

ten thousand reasons 
to be afraid of this hike,
yet we keep trekking

ten thousand peak views
all in different shades of light
just like our marriage

ten thousand questions 
when we married at twenty
look how far we’ve come

a new Corona 
three years after quarantine 
back to wilderness

girls’ trip for spring break 
to collect our Subaru 
and meet our sister

miracle arches 
connect the past and future 
with hope for this life