Naked and True

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

Reach for It

an exhausting day
with my spirit-week “jersey”
and this fake smile

hidden by these masks
that have broken our world
like a rootless orchid

but this cat. this cat.
a soft purrfection presence 
worth a real grin.

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.

a powder escape
from the harsh reality
of everyday life

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

our symbolic cat
sitting by his empty plate
waiting for his love

quarantine café
ready for any work day
(insomniac’s dream)

trapped behind two masks, 
we’re at the pandemic’s will:
all screens. no faces.

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