cement clouds pour rain
on kodiak, alaska
in seventy-nine.
black sky a castle --
turrets and crenellations.
edifice of rain.
the rain never stops.
black sky, black sea, black mountains
etched electric green.
rain flows through my hair.
rain murmurs in the spruces.
rain fills the muskegs.
rain clings to my hand,
follows me down the continent,
parts in seattle.
end of eighty-one,
i go north to meet the rain.
it follows me home.
flood of eighty-two,
the raucous redwood laughter
echoes weeks later.
storms rise in my veins,
gather on the horizon,
mass for invasion.
pace, irritable,
waiting, waiting, and waiting
for the storm to break.
the first sweet drops fall.
open my arms to the sky,
receive the blessing.
two point eight inches
of bliss fall on my mountain.
shining dance of life.
22 January 1997
dingy warm front sky.
teething toddler arches back.
digging fork abandoned.
mishy's castle runes --
enigmatic carved stones --
sagely keep silence.
last week's social feast
a smorgasboard of beliefs,
exotic thought-tastes.
unanswered questions.
mind's hamster wheel is churning,
circling round and round.
stillness at center,
the heart of life in turmoil.
balance in chaos.
shield left unfinished,
reminder of constant change --
koyaanisqatsi.
hermit remembers
nose to grindstone, to grindstone.
silence ringing there.
voices fill the heart,
calls of beloved beings.
connection's richness.
the householder's path.
satori in attachment,
bliss incarnate.
19 January 1997
the rains have returned.
a winter mist covers the
damp green salad world.
coastal rainforest.
the redwoods stretch their limbs to
embrace the gray sky.
distant ridges blur
to black-and-white woodblock prints,
chinese ink drawings.
poignant mystery.
the dark sky, pregnant with rain,
gives birth to the land.
rain beats the bright gold
from the limbs of the maples.
naked silver wands.
two bar creek rises.
children splash up the road to
hear the water roar.
small boy at glass door,
befuddled by pounding rain.
claps to rain's tattoo.
rain songs. "it's raining,
it's pouring. my love life is
boring me to tears" trill.
"stop singing, mama."
four year old hands cover ears,
"some hot chocolate, please."
measuring cocoa,
"prepare the storm to come for it
surely looks like rain."
sing in thunderstorm
atop mount whitney, lightning
strikes all around me.
'twas real unschooling.
those lessons packed a wallop.
survival matters.
20 November 1996
intrepid toddler
scaled the dining room chair heights
achieved table peak.
crossed the tablecloth
to the table's center where
an oil lamp waited.
slowly, carefully,
he slid the glass globe off, rolled
it across table.
it stopped on the brink.
then, calmly, he dismantled
the thin glass chimney.
set it down gently,
explored the mechanism
of open oil lamp.
scooted back and down
landed with feet on the chair
fussed for a parent.
daddy came in, saw
oil lamp taken apart, parts
whole and unbroken.
lifted the toddler.
"what a clever boy you are.
pretty careful, too."
took him out to tell
mama about his table
top wild adventures.
intrepid toddler
snuggles down for a quick nurse
eyes fall into sleep.
18 November 1996
natural bridges --
the eucalyptus trees bear
butterfly blossoms.
a driftwood seesaw.
children hover over beach,
soar towards the sand.
butterfly boardwalk
winds through the saltwater marsh
muffled foot thunder.
boards cut to fit curves;
outside wide wedges taper
to mere fingerwidth.
a great deal of work
for a boardwalk through the marsh.
surprise show of art.
lay on our backs
under masses of monarchs
dreaming insect dreams.
clumps of butterflies
fall from the waving treetops
break into free flight.
15 November 1996
leaf butterflies float
holding summer memories
in their brittle shapes.
u s r demo
pentium modem connects
where is my popcorn?
ten base two running
wealth talks to prosperity
the autumn sun sets.
nt the marriage
between unix and windows.
puzzling their offspring
(okay, really it's
vms and windows' child --
don't know vms.)
disks mirror my files.
which is the substance and which
is the reflection?
at the end
of the endless day
there is more work.
2 October 1996
a misty rain falls
on the heads of the redwoods.
rain's breath stirs the chimes.
1 October 1996
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