Gold rush

There's gold in California still,
it's not all been stripped away!
It must have run down from the rivers and hills, -
I saw it myself in the Bay.

Bubbles

You never can count on a bubble,
'cuz they're only around for a while.
But I'm still very fond of bubbles,
'cuz they always can make me smile.

Birch trees

Birch trees are always dramatic,
somehow they're fashioned that way.
I saw some last night at the ballet,
in a setting that blew me away.

What is it that captures my fancy?
They're straight, and upstanding and tall,
with no need of flowers or branches, -
they are what they are,and that's all!

Junior

The trouble with creating offspring,
whatever your species or race,
there's always a noisy teen-ager
demanding to take your place.

royalty

I'm glad in some species it's proper..
(though some  fellows may call it obscene)
That a king can accept his position
Below and behind his queen.

back pack

We all have our problems with aging, -
  the energy that we lack.
But at least we don't have the burden
of barnacles on our back!

cormorants

The cormorant army's convening
It's stretching across the bay.
It looks like they're planning a fly-by
But they have to decide which way.

Now a signal  comes through and they line up
One call and they all sally forth, -
Heading like hell for the southland,
then they all spin around and head north.

I am awed by their disciplined order,
as their passages darken the sky.
But I can't help asking the question:
Who gives the signal - and why?

Pigeons

It's touching to witness a courtship like this,
but I'm crowded with pigeons galore.
So I had to shoo off the romancing pests
before they made any more!

Transition

    My view of myself is dissolving,
    My identity's all in a muddle.
    Will I find I'm a new kind of person -
    or just melt away in a puddle??

the mud puddlle's story

I'm really not just a mud puddle
Though others may think me that way.
But, given our changeable weather,
I can change what I look like each day.

I'm just a small rut in the road to start,
Nobody notices me.
Then a quick rainstorm will turn me to mud, -
 A nuisance for all to see.

Mud puddles are nothing but trouble, they think.
then my puddle begins to clear.
Now look, there's a picture reflecting in it ,
soft clouds begin to appear.

Look again, and  you'll see it get brighter.
as the clouds give way for the sun.
Now the walkers all stop to admire me
and praise me for what I have done!

Now I know I'll be losing my luster
After the raining is done.
Then it's back to the road rut for Buster,
but I've had my day in the sun!

Disillusioned

You're always so sweet and seductive
   when you're wearing your mantel of blue.
Why can't I remember
   that you can get angry too?!

KIngfisher

He reigns from the top of the flagpole.
with his wonderful  little cocked hat.
It must be a wonderful feeling
To be king of the world like that!

to a lonely bench

LIke my grandma, you're patiently waiting,
  with your artwork displayed at your back;
just sitting, and waiting, and hoping,
  for someone to sit in  your lap.

Heartache

     

Hearts were breaking today at the feeder.
    The birds won't forget, I'm afraid.
I bought the wrong seeds at the Safeway,
    and oh what a difference it made!

I watched as they came in for breakfast,
                                                                but for each it was always the same.
                                                          A sad little chirp and they flew off, -
                                                               and I wept, knowing I was to blame.

                                                           Then, seeing them leaving, I wondered, -                  
                                                                  which of us suffered the most?
                                                           Was it I, who had caused them such heartache,-
                                                                   or the birds who lost faith in their host?

tree talk

Weathered old bark of a tree,
but look how he's looking at me!
Old in the eyes, but ever so wise,
May that be a lesson for me!

climbing the wall

Is there a race to the top, do you think, -
   Something to challenge them all?
Do they get marks for each shoot they send out ?
   Or how fast they can cover the wall?

the end?

What if  my life ended just  like that, -
   a single black pod on a tree?
What if a simple container like that, -
   was all that was left of me?
 
What if someday someone opened me up, -
  what would they find inside?
A little too little that's humble, I fear,
    a little too much of pride.



                            (for Jan 10)

Pelican

  

If I were a fish
would I feel a shiver
when I saw the shadow,
twisting and turning.
and then just...
hovering....
 Would I know
this would be
my last
moment
                                                        on....
                                                               SPLASH!

                        (FOR JAN 9)

the last leaf

 

                          Dogged, determined, he'd won his last bet,
                              smiled as the lesser leaves fell,
                           Now he's triumphant, the final survivor,
                                awaiting the victory bell.

                            But who is there now to applaud him, -
                               to share all the cold and the snow?
                            Too late now to moan in his anguish
                              the victor 's victory  is vanquished!


        (for Jan 8)

Stitchery

The leaves seem to arrange themselves
In a pattern that's almost like lace.
Do you think they've been given a challenge
to stitch in a corner of space?

ambassadors

Looming out of the landscape
like monsters from out of the past...
from China, they say, are they headed this way
to kill competition at last??

But no, these are gentle creatures
their mission is not disaster.
Their cranes are bigger than our cranes,
so they help build our bridges faster.

at the feeder

(for Jan 11)

A flurry of wings
and they sail in to feed;
nudging and pushing
for their share of seed.

most of them different,
but all look the same
the challenge is always to find out their names

sparrows and warblers and towhees and wrens,
chickadees, flycatchers, male birds and hens.

They're all "perching birds"
it says in the book,-
so just close the pages,
just listen - and look

Moon's lament

Don't paint me just pretty.
Don't make me blush from the start.
My powers are potent!

I'm not just a part of your art!

Guardians

fortresses guarding their treasures,

like the famed citadels of old.
......But their treasure was gold