The things I might have learned

If my Abenaki grandmother did not have to live white, I might have learned the uses for heal-all, burdock and spirea. How to read the meaning in a wolf call. I might have learned to weave baskets of sweetgrass, the best time to dig the root of the blackberry, the names of the healing plants…

Stormy Day Rhythms

The clouds thicken, the flecks of weak sunlight disappear; darkening and dropping ‘til a soft sprinkle of rain begins. The wind and waves slowly and steadily gather strength. Blow, splash. Blow, splash. White caps parade across the bay as the islands play hide and seek in the fog, then dissolve into gray. Windows rattle. Tall…

Flowers by the Sea

A few photos from our vacation on Mt. Dessert Island of lupine & beach rose, the quintessential Maine ocean-side flowers, and some favorite daisy shots (they are happy by the sea, too!)  And a poem thrown in for good measure.  🙂 Flowers by the Sea Lupine’s purple spires announce, “summer’s here!” The deep purples gray…

Waking up

The earth slowly shrugs off her blanket of snow. sticking out an arm, a toe, gently opening one eye. Her hair sticks out every which way; her limbs still heavy with sleep. She lays quiet and begins to look around. Trees are gray; their twining branches bare but look! – tiny buds ready to flesh…

Torn

You can feel the passing of a life even before you get to the spot where the motorcycle lies crushed. The newspaper scorches my fingers before I pull it out of the plastic wrapper the carrier put it in. It rained today. Police shootings. Spilled oil exploding. Maniacs seeking to create horror, fear mangle a…

Dog Time

I wrote this poem two days ago about our dog Rosie who just turned 14 on December 27th.  I have been feeling especially tender toward our old girl knowing that each day she is with us is a gift and there will only be so many more days.  Today I took her to the vet…