a creek paddle day
brings every boat together
for swimming and grins




a creek paddle day
brings every boat together
for swimming and grins




if only these pics were perfect
as perfectly peaceful as they appear
and no one lost a phone (and all the love attached) to a lake
and no one said they hated each other
and no one lied to their mother
and no one cried.


but life isn’t this lake
this quiet Kentucky fishing lake that we ruined with six screaming kids and one barking dog
this peaceful lake for paddling or praying or both
this swimmable, all-ours, wake-free lake.

Life is this lake, isn’t it?
Perfect and not so perfect.

nothing like my park
and isn’t that so perfect?
vines, dogs, shade, creeks, peace.


nothing like my path
and isn’t that so perfect?
sun, hills, curves, town, bike.



not what i dreamed of
for our family vacation;
pretty all the same


you wouldn’t believe
how fire Kentucky is
sunsets, family, all


screech owls in our park
cycling through the city
quarantine summer


this is our family
working through each glittered pic
and this quarantine


magic pupusas
like play dough for my nieces
home cooked by my son



side of garden leaves,
fresh cut perfect peonies,
beauty from our home

hiking out hurts us
(to face the world’s anger
instead of these trees)

the packing ordeal
of a backpacking journey
is so exhausting

for these quiet views
we walk into the forest
leaving all behind


(if only we could
forget the masks and all else
and escape this plague)

the lake saves us all
even without the swim beach
we still have the views

