come in from the cold
wrap yourself in sister love
safe from the harsh world
weather
Wash Out
one stinging comment
can easily spoil fun
on a rainy day
girls can be so mean
how can i raise three sweet ones
with the right manners?
the struggle’s real
as all the teens like to say
but i need answers
(later they giggled,
stood in the cold rain talking,
glad to have new friends)
there is always hope
that today’s words will drain down
with drops of remorse
Sprung Upon
a single email
can spring up late Friday tears
i’ve been holding in
friendship’s mystery
lies in glad discoveries
so easily lost
my heart aches and blooms
for all that i have… and don’t
(that’s how petals fall)
Behind the Classroom Door
what seems like brightness
is a trick to bring more heat
to this hot classroom
what a way to start–
climb on toes, on stool, on desk
to shut those damn blinds
just one sacrifice
like the hundreds daily made
by every teacher
(and who designed these??
thirteen-foot-high hell windows,
bastards of the sun?)
this is my Wednesday:
rise before dawn to face light
i’d rather not see
Refocus
when you’re trapped by gloom
and unable to say why
refocus your lens
you might catch a glimpse
of golden sunlit peaks;
a stand-alone tree
spring rain bringing food
(hidden in these rays, raindrops)
to a front range ranch
refocus your lens–
windows will open your eyes
to a clearer view
Relief
sometimes small spring signs
like leafing aspen, orchids
are all a day needs
Date Day
spring rain can’t stop us
from A-line’s call to freedom
escape found with love
The Blues
after rain, blue sky,
blooming redbuds, purple lawn,
and linings of hope
Gray Matter
rough waters ahead
as greasy rain plagues my view
of storms yet to spill
Exhaust(ed)
in city blooms, petals drop
falling to pavement to be smashed by tires
ground into the street our souls walk on
their soft, lilting perfume gnawed by exhaust
just like your lack of denial
as fragile as a flower in mid-spring
silence swallowed up by gray skies and wind
clear mountain view blocked; exhausted
no matter how many miles i walk
you’ll never quite capture the right moment
when they blossom fearlessly, ready to stay
exhausted only by blue skies and sun
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