Naked and True

i’ll grasp this aspen 
framed by its own starry night
when i need some peace

Little Girl Gone

my baby skiing 
breaking my heart in these trees
(not such a baby)

she skis black diamonds
from the top of the mountain 
to her mama’s soul

i'll write a haiku
as easy as this damn day
filled with lines. and love.

you will never know
how hard i've tried to earn this.
you can taste the snow.

you can taste blue sky.
it comes in moments, this love.
moments found on slopes.

powder power pulls
relentlessly through the snow
bringing us to light

not what i had planned
(before we were so broken)
yet bright, all the same

always the baker
coming up with concoctions 
to sweeten our lives

just a year ago
i taught my boy how to ski.
(he learned in one day)

snow arrived today.
soft, slippery, it snuck in
and brought back this piece:

in the purple night
on our perfect patio
completion beckons.

a small redemption

when the pieces fit in place

so rarely perfect

a busted-lip morn
as i mourn this stage of life:
dry. unforgiving.

one day at a time
I’ll win back my little one
(no longer little)