Always pause to listen to the rushing river, to taste the wild red raspberries, to search for the squeaking pika, and to thank the trees.
Trail Etiquette
Hummingbird
A hummingbird flew in my door and hovered by the window. I called his name and down he came to the sill so close and low. I cupped my hands around his frame, he didn't move a feather. And out I went to mountain air, to release this little treasure. When my hands I did... Continue Reading →
Retirement
It's Wednesday. I am the first one on the trail. The snow is pristine, it creaks and crunches and complains under my boots. A hint of wood smoke from a distant stove is in the air. Clink, clink. My poles hit stone beneath the snow. Each step is a small triumph, as my feet twist,... Continue Reading →
Observations from Nebraska
Chickens don't have fingers. Buffaloes don't have wings. Gas stations should not sell sundresses. (They should stay in their lane.) My hands are ALWAYS invisible to touchless faucets.
I slapped a girl
I slapped a girl. I was 10 years old riding the bus home from school. Why did you do it? they asked. I didn't really have an answer, but you did. You saw it all from your hiding spot under the kitchen sink. You saw the truth behind the adoption. How she needed another knick-knack... Continue Reading →
"Poetry is the shadow cast by our streetlight imaginations." Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Nepenthe
I should have known she would lose her mind, forget her name, along this ragged stretch of Big Sur coast. It is called Nepenthe after all. Nepenthe - the mysterious drug of forgetfulness. Nepenthe - eraser of all sorrows. I have experienced this once before, long ago, this redwood and surf induced amnesia. Right here... Continue Reading →
A Visit to Lake Shrine
The turtle in its quiet pond knows nothing of the world beyond. The yogi on the bench above is searching for eternal love. And I sit somewhere in between just trying to see what can be seen.
Good Friday
“Have you heard the trumpets?” he asks. He has. Once in Wyoming, and once in Israel. The pilgrims in the hot springs nod in recognition and soak their blisters. I am a tourist in the waters. It takes me longer to understand what he is talking about - The voices of angels. I didn’t make... Continue Reading →
The Herd
We walked among the grazing herd, their nostrils flared, their dark eyes stared, their big ears tracked our every step - like sunflowers following the sun. We knew our hearts had passed their test, they did not move, let us pass through, inviting us to quietly join their afternoon prayer circle. Last week a... Continue Reading →
Pebble Tossed 