ANGELS AND SEAGULLS

OUTCOME

I breathe with the wind on the bay
Dragging in a great dragon
Of fog from under the bridge.
It’s tail disappears around Alcatraz.
Horns herald its coming
In stereo
Hi — Low.
There is an inevitability of
Seeking solid land.

It moves with a constancy
Little known in this world
Steady, onward
Hour after hour.
I expect it to blanket
Everything I know.

But it does not happen.
It does not build upon itself.
It does not gather a force
And spill over
To new territory.
We do not always know
The outcome of these things.

ON RECEIVING PLUMS

 for Nanette

There is something
So relaxing about a plum
The pitty flesh on top of my tongue
Flavors explode
But they're not exotic
They're not intriguing
Just ordinary plum
Sitting there
Releasing
The sun.

WHEN

When your tears flow with the river
You are not alone.

When water is held in water
There is no separation.

When water matches thirst
Unexpected
Exaltation.

Let the rains fall
We are the chorus.

OPEN MY HAND

I CAN HOLD ON TO THE PAIN
OR,
I CAN OPEN MY HAND
and experience the free fall
which is quite
disorienting
having my gut
smush up into my heart
not knowing where
i will land,
if i will
land,
but think:
what is the
alternative?

Thanksgiving

I have so much life around my house
Coyotes howl
Owls in their pas de deux calling
Fox, red and grey, weasels, racoons
Bushy tailed squirrels, chipmunks, and quail
Slithering snakes—garter, gopher, and king
Blind moles, burrowing badgers
Turkeys gobbling, deer prancing, skunky stinks
Feral cats, bobcats, roof rats, bats
Cougars in the valley, a peacock on the roof
Waddling possums cross my path
Horses of course
And multiple wings—
Blue birds, black birds,  red wing
Hummingbirds thrumming
Sparrows fighting, swallows swooping, wrens" chirrup
Cedar wax wings, thrush, orioles
Cowbirds, grackles, chickadees, crows
Red tailed and red shouldered hawks
The great blue heron
Dark shadowed vultures
Seeking their prey
Crawling creatures with bellies so low
Lizards leaping, frogs a hopping, crickets whirring
Daddy-long-legs dancing up the door
I have so much in life to be grateful for.


This poem comes from my book EVERYDAY MERMAID POEMS.  A book I am collaborating on with the fabric artist Deidre Scherer.

BROKEN PICTURES

I fell to my knees when you left hon
I fell to my knees when you left babe
your betrayal broke all my pictures

I fell to my knees when i first saw you babe
I fell to my knees when I first saw you hon
your birth broke all my pictures

my pictures are all broken
my pictures are all broken
and i am not sure i should
put them back together again

terrified of all the dark
terrified of all the light

terrified of all the light
terrified of all the dark

when there is
nothing to hold them

this morning
i woke up
with this poem
in my belly
dancing