• She was a PLAIN sort of gal, more likely to order a simple TONIC and lime (sometimes with a splash of gin, sometimes not). She wore DENIM well and with regularity, catching the eye of the astute passersby and ignored by the less perceptive. Those who knew her were a little in awe of her and called her the “GENIE of restaurant row.” She had earned this moniker with her remarkable ability to make magic for every restaurateur along the street into town, famous for its variety of eating establishments. Many a café, brasserie, or even diner, no matter their style, cuisine, or price point, had benefited from her magic.

    Georg’ann

    EXTRA person came to play
    Entertained with her ukulele.
    Soundtrack to the cloud show
    slow motion on the big screen,
    study in light, water, air.
    Crystal CHIME reigned us back
    from BINGE on sky drama.
    Though GENIE is out of the bottle.

    Heather

  • In the morning the merest TRACE will remain,
    little bits of evidence, that WHILE the house
    was still and quiet, I crept about like a little MOUSE.
    A few toast crumbs on the counter, a used tea bag,
    the cup still holding a few sips.
    If you choose to see them, these clues will EVOKE
    for you my restless night, my disrupted sleep,
    while the heavy air and tang of OZONE
    arrived before the storm.

    Georg’ann

    Oh DAISY, with reputation
    for being fresh and delicate.
    You, I would never choose
    to GROUP in a garden bed.
    No intrigue to your structure
    Basic white petals to pluck
    loves me loves me not.
    No wafting scent of CLOVE.
    Standing in perky oblivion
    while OZONE settles in.

    Heather

  • As the black-clad mourner tilts toward her, Christina struggles to maintain her balance in the close space. There is a TWEEN on one side and a gentleman on the other, so she does what she can to STALL for time and space. All in a flash, she manages to steady herself, the tilting elderly mourner, and not knock over the girl and the gentleman. “Are you okay?” she asks. A pale and PASTY white face looks up, encased in a black veil and hat, giving off a vibe both ARTSY and eccentric. “Yes, dear, I am fine,” the voice in a androgynous middle register, the speaker elderly, and strikingly beautiful.

    Georg’ann

    Awakened early
    Truck brakes squeak
    TRASH cans rumble
    Tossed along the street
    ARTSY urban scene

    Heather

  • Standing in the field of my emotions, I am tempted to GRAZE at the edges, find small bite-sized bits to examine and integrate. I feel wary (and weary) of efforts to WEAVE the big feelings into a coherent whole. Won’t any effort to do so lead me on an endless CHASE for the impossible – turning me into an enlightened whole? That seems like more than I can do in this lifetime. That seems like something for my betters – you know, saints and geniuses and bodhisattvas, all things I am decidedly not. I am willing to dig in here and there, take my SPADE to isolated parts of this wild field. Maybe I can clear one single space and make a pretty spot in which to rest, sheltered amid a SPATE of my own emotions.

    Georg’ann

    Eyes GLIDE across the page.
    Not reading so much
    as a moving STARE.
    SKATE over other’s thoughts
    not engaging what I open.
    Each morning brings a SPATE
    of opinions, prose, poetry.

    Some days it’s enough
    to enjoy the chorus
    of birdsong without striving
    to identify an individual species.

    Heather

  • DRAWN butter, rich and golden
    On the table, little drips
    create a TACKY PATCH.
    Child’s finger dips into
    cup of warm liquid,
    too tempting to resist.
    She offers kitten a taste and
    giggles erupt at the result.

    Georg’ann

    No inclination
    to RAISE chickens,
    plant a PATCH
    of this and that.
    Hard work wrapped
    in romantic notions.

    Heather

  • The server said yes, she had heard the music too and supposed it was a funeral, over at the church. But she was new to the area and didn’t know much more. Yes, she confirmed, the church is indeed within walking distance. So Christina took a last bite of the deliciousness before her, settled her bill. She followed the sound of the mournful tune, surprised as it turned into a beautiful song. The voice now singing clutched a bit at her heart, stirring a memory of some sort. Walking towards the source, she turns a corner, and there is the church. A crowd in front, mourners, and a few stray people on the side. Christina joins those on the side, adopting an appropriately somber look. She catches snippets of conversation: “…would be so PROUD,” “hearing of this… SONIC boom,” “grew an unusual lily, … member of the ONION family.” The words swirled around her, not making a coherent whole. It feels a little like she’s prying, like looking over someone’s shoulder and trying to read their INBOX. She is about to go when someone stumbles, and she instinctively puts a hand out to catch them.

    Georg’ann

    Sushi held, we didn’t.

    Centers of beet, carrot, cucumber.
    Magenta bleeding into WHITE rice
    held with dark green border.
    We shared a FLAIR for creating.

    Could have been perfect
    MINUS his desire for a child.
    I already had a masterpiece,
    nothing more to give from within.

    Playtime ended. Companion gone.
    Long missive found in my INBOX.
    Years later his regrets. Childless.
    Mine a grown woman.

    Heather

  • On the OUTER edge of the town, she took a moment to RELAX and linger over a CREPE. The tearoom was charming, just the kind of place you expect to find anywhere with “SHIRE” in the name. Indeed, she felt a little like a traitor to tradition, having something French instead of a good English scone with local butter and clotted cream. Guilty as charged, she thought with a smile, licking some chocolate hazelnut spread off her fingers. Focused on what was in front of her, it took a moment before she realized that she was hearing what sounded like a DIRGE. It seemed to be coming from not too far away. Catching the server’s eye, she motioned her over. This simple act was about to change the trajectory of not just Christina’s vacation but also a significant part of the next two years.

    Georg’ann

    Give EXTRA attention
    color and form COVER
    bare dirt canvas.
    My favorite moment-
    peachy pink columbine
    with buttery centers rise
    behind the speckled leaves
    and periwinkle blues
    of the Jack Frost Brunnera.
    Soon rain will RINSE
    stepping stones, tuck in
    the newly planted.
    Alleluia praise song rises
    only from today’s DIRGE.

    Heather

  • Such a WASTE, they said, as they STOOD by her grave.

    Georg’ann

    Your LAUGH soothes my spirit.
    Letting go all POISE,
    snorts and tears clear congestion.
    On my SMOCK coffee spray.

    Unlike the SNOWY night
    when we STOOD side by side
    catching snowflakes on tongues
    and eyelashes. Delicate delight.
    Lyrical laughter landing softly.

    Heather

  • It was a bit of a DRIVE, but the dessert simply couldn’t be prepared without getting more FLOUR. We had been at the cottage for less than 6 hours. In the country for slightly longer than that. I sighed. “Hey, do you mind if we run to the store? I know it was hard getting here, and even harder to go out now, but i really can’t finish what I am doing without it. And there are probably other things we should get.” You give me a jet-lagged look. “Please??” You nod, grab the keys. We get in the rental car. “Watch out! Do you see that truck??” I hear you sigh. “LORRY.” “Excuse me?” “They don’t call them trucks over here. They are lorries.” “Huh. Sounds fancy. Or maybe like a parakeet, you know, those at the zoo. Lorikeets.” This elicits silence. And then, laughter. Then I start, and there we are, weaving down some narrow English country road, giggling about silly words, while trying to get supplies so I could make a cake that we didn’t really need, but seemed important, because what is vacation for if not to do ridiculous things and have adventures? I suppose the MORAL of that story is that sometimes the stressful moments produce unexpected joys.

    Georg’ann

    Government was WRONG.
    COURT rules go all directions
    none affect outcome.
    Best BOXER can’t land a punch.
    ROYAL screwups, no matter.
    Lowest rungs of humanity
    operating, no MORAL compass.

    Heather

  • WHITE sheets on the line —
    They dance and wave on the breeze
    Carry them in and bring the FRESH air along
    Bedtime will come and sleepy child
    HONES in on the smell, a sense of
    place and belonging that
    will last until she is an ASHEN heap
    scattered on those same bright breezes

    Georg’ann

    Oh my friend, what would I tell
    of this MONTH, blending
    seamlessly from last to next.
    Arbitrary to call these days
    a collection. Fast the slog.
    No heralding. No sad goodbye.
    Though the sun was recently warm.
    Black garden cat sat on stone,
    glorious SHINE to his coat.
    My own skin ASHEN.

    Heather

  • TOUGH skin on the mango
    a protective covering
    no way to catch a glimpse inside
    touch and smell my only guides
    Its yellow skin, enticing
    I buy two mangoes
    yearning for a way into
    summer’s abundance
    or, at LEAST, expand our options

    Home, on the kitchen counter
    they sit – these reminders
    that sunny, exotic places do EXIST
    far from our tentative spring
    where waves CREST and crash
    on tropical shores

    Georg’ann

    PAUSE cherry blossom
    explosion of pink
    FRESH dirt receives
    your molted CREST

    Heather

  • I FLOAT in possibilities:
    the day seems LARGE and spacious.
    I pick up goals and put them away;
    ponder responsibilities and weigh them.
    Perhaps this is a day made
    to LAUGH and play; time enough
    for work tomorrow.

    Georg’ann

    Morning mishap accepted
    Origin for what I mean.
    Porous comes from PORUS
    Coming from is not
    the same as being.

    FUDGE!

    What wants to be written
    about tiny holes,
    pits in sense organs
    related to insects?

    LAUGH!

    Could exercise sleepy brain.
    Pull in elements of nature,
    of emotional state. Craft
    myself as an iridescent beetle.
    Potential there. Oh yes.
    Right now senses want coffee.

    Heather

  • I have BLOWN all my money on the PAINT. It has touched a NERVE in our relationship. Today will be spent trying to NURSE and cajole us back into equilibrium.

    Georg’ann

    SCALE thrown off balance
    HOUSE needs maintenance
    Eat cookies, NURSE wounds

    Heather

  • Careful not to get anything on her DENIM at the START of the party, Sheila moved over to the ARBOR. From underneath the drooping wisteria, she looked over at Kylie, eyes focused intently. Kylie looked up, feeling Sheila looking at her, as surely as if an ARROW had been launched in her direction.

    Georg’ann

    Maeve climbed the rickety staircase at the back of a plain house off Kirkwood, heading up to an audition for some budget film being shot in the summer. Trying out was, for her, an audacious decision. Giddy confidence gave a certain buoyancy to her gait. There was no expectation and nothing to lose.

    Later she’d look back and wonder about her judgement, going alone to a strange apartment where she was filmed by a man as he asked her questions about friendship and loss. That was how it always was for Maeve. She had an uncanny sense of personal safety.

    In the end she was given a part as an EXTRA. Maeve’s onscreen presence showed her sitting alone on a park bench, knitting a SCARF. The brief shot was framed within a rose covered ARBOR. In the next scene a child runs by with a toy bow and ARROW. MAEVE looks up. Her head turns, as she and the camera follow the boy running exuberantly. Contrasting with the somber mood set before.

    Heather

  • The soapy water works its magic, and things that were stuck begin to soften. I lift the next set of dishes into the sink. Remnants of food STICK to the PLATE like so much abstract art. I lazily scrub, enjoying the slippery suds and feel of the sharp forks, dull knives, and wide plates. It’s nice to be old-fashioned, not running a MOTOR or using electricity. I pick up the next plate, pushing the TROUT bones and skin into the trash. I hear through the window the roar of a lawn mower, the contrast to my quiet occupation as sharp as if a fleet of airplanes had started up, TURBO engines going full throttle.

    Georg’ann

    ROUGH patches abound
    PROUD of efforts, many
    moments, overlapping
    OUTER self greets each one
    Fueled by TURBO charged heart
    Inner self ready for collapse

    Heather

  • I am struggling to find a way into these words. No THEME leaps out at me, no imagery emerges. I cannot even figure out a way to CHEAT my way in, though maybe I have, as I diligently type these words on my phone. I stop and stare at my last word, then my mind wanders as I contemplate a slice of hot buttered toast. Getting the bread knife, I unwrap the loaf of fresh cracked WHEAT bread, the result of weekend baking, my mouth watering in anticipation.

    Georg’ann

    Craggy rock man rolls
    cigarette. LANKY body
    tan and leathery. Listening
    to stories, my eyes
    TRACE laugh lines,
    patterns in stone behind.
    Wiry hair, silver and WHEAT,
    halos his warm face.

    Heather

  • Trying not to SWEAR
    Much better to SHARE
    Stay out of the SNARE
    I have time to SPARE

    Georg’ann

    FOUND a way to SPEAK
    painful truths with care.
    Then give SPACE for hearing.
    Not always graceful, of course.
    When done poorly
    not a SPARE moment.
    All consuming the effort
    to find a gentle path back.

    Heather

  • The SNAKE in the wild does not rise EARLY
    The chill of the dawn keeps it hidden
    But not so with the human viper
    Our villains can rise with the sun
    Brush off a suit, adjust a LAPEL, tighten a tie
    Oh, so dapper, so suave, so debonaire
    Yet still lurking in unexpected places
    Behind a GAVEL or an executive desk
    Not always in the dark, impoverished spaces
    HAZEL eyes gleam out, coiled threat
    Evident in every stance or move ”

    Georg’ann

    Cookies in the freezer,
    on the counter cinnamon rolls.
    EXTRA sweets from our weekend.
    Today the sun returns, robins too.
    Working to see abundance
    as a new LEASE with life.
    Instead feel nausea.
    Sugar and shine only go so far
    in times this BLEAK.
    Known to be AGILE, steady
    in extremes. Find center.
    Store goodness like a CAMEL.
    HAZEL eyes hold sorrow
    while they watch this robin
    tidy her nest. Beak holds
    a slender dried grass.
    Tucked into woven twigs
    she waits for new life.

    Heather

  • Feeling like they were being asked to TITHE, the weekend guests had to hand over their practical outdoorsy attire and replace it all with SILKY and swanky clothes. Their host, Alfred, insisted that everyone join in an elaborate role-playing game. The VILLA was the perfect place for it, and everyone loved Alfie and his cleverness. Nevermind that their teeth would chatter and that going out in the wet, chilly spring weather would be difficult. It would be a wild lark and that was all that mattered.

    Georg’ann

    Eva at three

    Plastic pink high heels
    a tiara nestled in ringlets
    strands of plastic beads
    soft pink apron over ruffles
    gracious royalty greeting
    neighbors with FLAIR
    ALIVE with a sense of worth
    subjects accepted assessment
    all agreed it to be VALID
    especially the servants
    residing within her VILLA

    Heather

  • Good grief. Why is it always so hard to find SPACE in this cabinet? It doesn’t need to be a lot of room. Just an area where I can put things. Sometimes, I wish for a fresh start, like a BLANK piece of paper where we can start over, where it would be easier to be orderly. I realize that we each have our habits, that thing we like to, if not HOARD, exactly, then have a backup supply of. I look at the stash of bandaids, the multiple tubes of antibiotic cream, and variously scented lotions. I turn my head and look over at the bag of sundries picked up from the drugstore. Turning back to the cabinet, my eyes land on the assorted cans of FOAMY shaving cream. Okay, I will start with these. Turning up my playlist, I settle in for a refreshing session of “clean out the bathroom cabinet.”

    Georg’ann

    Sandtray Training, 4/4/25

    Little girl figure carrying
    her HEART in hands
    stands on the edge
    not ready to enter.

    Through silence,
    taut with care
    we cut her SLACK.
    No urging to resolve.
    Or encourage movement.

    Entry comes, steps into center.
    Finds shelter in the arch
    of a FOAMY wave.

    Heather

  • She stood at the lectern,
    bad news she had to share:
    “Let me be FRANK, our
    oceans are BROKE almost
    beyond repair. We threaten
    the KRILL, a vital piece
    of the food chain.”
    I listen, and I remember:
    “for want of a nail,
    the shoe was lost…”

    Georg’ann

    At the end of the day
    what was most wanted
    was rest, a hot shower, mind off.
    Then Bonnie made a request.
    Will you make clementine cake?
    It’s so MOIST. In my travel here
    I remembered it, longed for it.

    So I ALIGN my evening to please.
    Tomorrow they will BUILD.
    Psyches at work, a process
    that can be as if put on the GRILL.
    This sweetness I can provide.
    Nourishing with citrus and nuts,
    bright egg yolk golden yellow.
    Contrast to these April showers.

    Imagine us as KRILL, infinitesimal
    in the vast sea of creation.
    Pecking away, bit by bit,
    unaware of our place in the chain.
    Not ready to be swallowed.

    Heather

  • It has been a long time since I handled fabric with an eye to creating something. Unearthing a box of neglected, undone, or half-finished projects pulls me back to that world. Amazing how SWIFT the return to the memories. I remember how the process would begin: an idea, followed by a wandering in a fabric store. It’s such a physical experience – touching and looking, freeing the mind to wander. Holding, picking up — feeling for drape, weight, looking at color. I would consider what SPOOL of thread I might have in a drawer, if there might be a match waiting to be selected. Taking bolts of fabric to the table, putting them next to each other, considering accents and trims. I think about the parallels to cooking, how like a chef deciding what SAUCE will best draw out the flavors of a dish. I too would look to pick colors and textures that would draw out hidden qualities of the main fabric. Perhaps I should SNEAK out to a fabric store so I can reimmerse myself in this world, rehear the sound of the clerks as they use their forever sharp scissors to SHEAR off pieces of visions and dreams.

    Georg’ann

    There was a SPACE inside
    the forsythia branches 
    a completely secluded hideaway.
    Heidi and I would SNEAK away, 
    STEAL some snacks on the way. 
    Inside we’d make potions 
    with weeds and water. SMEAR
    slimy interior of dandelion stems
    across the bottom of our frisbee
    come Petri dish. Scientists. 
    Once we switched it up, playing
    hairdresser. Dolls and ourselves 
    got quite a SHEAR. It didn’t occur
    that we should fear leaving 
    the security of our woody shelter. 

    Heather

  • My dragon tree carries a NOBLE, if unusual, SHAPE. Its limbs are spare; they twist and twine. When I got it, an inheritance from a friend, it made me sad. Its appearance seemed TERSE, as if a CURSE had been put on it years before. Not willing to give up on it, I tended it carefully. Responding to this care, it has begun to flourish. It has grown more beautiful with increasing numbers of long, thin fronds that are deepening in color. Now, it seems worthy of its name, like a ancient dragon, ready to dispense wisdom to those who will listen.

    Georg’ann

    Large purple potter’s BENCH
    standing by the Christmas tree.
    Made in secret, carried in alone.
    Always the SCOPE of your holiday
    efforts were CAUSE for undoing
    an old CURSE barring celebration.

    That first tree you sneaked
    into my apartment while
    I was at class. Floor to ceiling.
    The time you swooped me
    away from them,
    drove us twelve hours to the sea.
    Once a full set of dishes in Easter
    pastels, a basket weave pattern.
    An eve of takeout Chinese on a blanket
    under twinkle light and pine bough.

    Year after year your elixir entered,
    making me once again the child
    at my paternal grandparents
    peaking through the cracks
    waiting for the doors to open
    into the splendor of tree, pretty
    packages, the stuffed giraffe
    taller than me. Cookies iced,
    accented with elegant silver balls.
    Laughter of cousins. Singing.
    She who was filled with magic.

    It was the last holiday.
    Then we left the kingdom.
    My mother and I traveling far
    with nothing but two satchels.
    She attempted, unsuccessfully,
    to escape her fate. We wandered
    dark woods. I met the woodsman.
    He gave me a tree.

    Heather

  • WEARY to the bone,
    stretching out on the couch,
    socks on my feet,
    pillow BELOW my head,
    I review memories of the day,
    treasures of the mind,
    each a precious JEWEL.

    Georg’ann

    Magnolia blossoms flutter
    RAISE yard to an EVENT space.
    From window seats, we watch
    our crowning JEWEL.

    Heather

  • Sky PLAIN and gray
    STORM brewing
    Praying for gentle rain
    I invoke deities with
    A random QUOTE or two
    Then notice as a robin
    Shakes from its head to
    Its BOOTY, and all is well

    Georg’ann

    Swimming in a liquid forest.
    CLEAR water to explore.
    Sitting at the table,
    MOUTH wants something.
    Dream strikes me as LOFTY.
    Snacking on Pirate BOOTY
    salty puffed corn kinda lowly.
    I am in perfect balance.

    Heather

  • She was, despite it all, tonight feeling of pretty darn good CHEER. Admittedly, there was much that could SPOIL it all and throw her back into a MOODY, despairing cycle again. But, no, not today. Today was for recognizing some good things, nodding to her growing community and celebrating those connections. People she had KNOWN for years were now showing up and engaging to make things better. It feels good to work together to push back against the horrible things. And it’s ABOUT time this started happening. She is clear that she hasn’t even reached her QUOTA of connecting yet — oh yes, she thought, we are the river, and we don’t need to be the dam. We are getting organized for real, and things will change for the better.

    Georg’ann

    She prepared the GUEST room.
    Lotion, calming pillow
    scent to spray, if desired,
    into softest sheets.
    First spring TULIP, yellow,
    in a vase by the bedside.
    QUART of fresh farm milk
    for morning granola
    and afternoon tea.
    Kindness always replenishing.
    No QUOTA being filled.

    Heather

  • I can be clear and SOLID in my feelings, and yet hold space for regrets. To say “I’m SORRY” does not always convey the complexity of my experience.

    Georg’ann

    BOUND to regret
    if I bring you in home.
    Raise you from stray
    turning into family.
    ROYAL black princess
    emerald eyes, velvet coat.
    Another kitty love STORY.
    Try to seal my heart.
    Not let it be captured.
    Whisper “Goodnight,
    I’m SORRY”.

    Heather

  • “BOAST if you will, child, but you still need to PRESS the clothes. And there they lie, soapy and in need of a RINSE. Oh, I CURSE the day I married your father!” So saying the wicked stepmother turned away and flounced out of the room. Observing this performance, our heroine continued on with her drudgery. This Cinderella, though, had a secret: she kept herself sane and hopeful by recording her experiences in VERSE. This exercise kept her mind nimble, making her feel both productive and smug. She knew the time would come when these words of hers would prove a valuable weapon and a way out of her situation.

    Georg’ann

    Rebuilt what was BURNT
    Didn’t PARSE contributing embers
    Singing new VERSE

    Heather

  • A FINAL attempt
    to REPOT, a SHEET of dirt
    Mama’s treasured plants

    Georg’ann

    Hours of preparation,
    fingers crossed
    for a FLUID presentation.
    TRACE the arc, this is
    a STEEP learning curve.
    Teaching a new way of being.
    Not easily translated
    to a cheat SHEET.
    Invitation to personal experience
    allowing for aha moments.
    Still the uncertain seek tangible
    formula, don’t trust this realm.
    They want linear cognition.
    I offer tangential intuition.

    Heather

  • It seemed a simple matter
    to AVAIL oneself of a
    BLEND of luck and diligence —
    to bend an ELBOW,
    put a nose to a grindstone,
    and seize an opportunity.
    And yet, she found it
    required more discernment
    than she expected.

    Georg’ann

    Brain is not QUIET.
    Rare the SPARE moment
    to dip BELOW the noise
    and ponder a fleeting image
    of that huge maple tree
    with its giant ELBOW resting
    on the roof of someone’s porch
    as if it were a table.
    Massive yet so gently leaning.

    Heather

  • The orchid is finally blooming, in striking shades of MAUVE and deepest purple. It looks like it should have a SCENT, but it does not. I nurtured it, repotted it, and took the time to SWEEP away the mealy bugs that have plagued it. I have been careful not to break or damage the flowering spike when at last it appeared. The buds took their time to appear and to open, each one a tight curved SHELL. I struggled to find a SHELF for it to display its rich beauty. I finally settled on a spot next to a white orchid, their blooms arcing over the fronds of the ponytail palm, my own personal jungle.

    Georg’ann

    Silent child, expressive face
    refuses to speak ALOUD.
    Glues buttons on paper.
    Quizzical look as we hear
    the microwave ding
    from the next room. Scent
    of Ashley’s CHILI comes
    through the door.
    He rises from his art, glances
    at me before taking a SHELL
    off the SHELF. Places it in sand,
    returns to resume his creation.

    Heather

  • The idea flew through my head like a COMET, fleeting and rare. It seemed that I could almost claim to have HEARD the words, a start to a new ESSAY, something brilliant, no doubt. Ah, so NAIVE of me to think that this is how writing works, a flash followed by words pouring out. I shift my position, tucking my ANKLE up under me. Thoughtful, I chew on the end of my favorite pen, moving the paper to a more satisfying ANGLE in front of me. No, I realize that drafts and rewrites, and maybe the help of a good editor, are key to writing.

    Georg’ann

    You’d think getting it in 2 would make it easy. Yet they are the kind of words that could go in so many directions. Exhausted me with all their running around in my brain from this snippet to that one. Their, “oh wait, what about that one there on the outskirts?” No energy to follow any thread to fruition.

    Bored.

    At this STAGE, I’m giving up. No ANGLE here to take me by the hand and guide me along.

    Heather

  • With QUIET concentration
    the BAKER bends over her cookies.
    SHEEP, bunnies, tulips, eggs:
    all shapes to signify spring.
    Wobbles of the arm,
    hesitations mar aim.
    Now a few MOPEY bunnies
    keep a couple of DOPEY
    lambs company,
    all on the “free samples” plate!

    Georg’ann

    SWIFT REACH
    Fast fall
    Glass shatters
    Don GLOVES
    Clear shards.

    This morning
    which dwarf?
    Part Sleepy
    Part Grumpy
    Part DOPEY
    Not Happy.

    Heather

  • Chipmunks CLAIM space
    Compete with squirrels under MAPLE
    Crows AMBLE and strut

    Georg’ann

    Everything so SWIFT. Always
    frenzy. Swooping, pecking,
    fluttering. Constant motion
    like this morning’s scene
    at the bird feeder.
    Discordant. Lacking CHARM.
    Free for all under the MAPLE.

    I relate more to the solitary cat.
    Taking her morning AMBLE,
    silently enters the garden.
    Winding her way to seclusion,
    curling up for a nap.
    Almost completely hidden
    under the soft, low
    branches of the hinoki.

    Heather

  • Ready to CLIMB into bed, I STARE for a moment more at my PHONE. I miss having a cat to NUDGE at my elbow.

    Georg’ann

    GUSTY wind, branch falls
    More might, hard to JUDGE.
    NUDGE taken, will be cautious.

    Heather

  • Family Feast

    A LABOR of love: prepping
    the roast in the BASIN,
    following a treasured recipe,
    BASED on those of the elders.
    Preparing for hours of roasting, we
    will lovingly BASTE and tend.
    Sides and salads, pies and cakes,
    but all cede pride of place to the big roast.
    Filling bellies and souls, all at one go,
    holding us all together in love,
    around the family table.

    Georg’ann

    Last night senses shift
    after the first spring rain.
    FRESH earthy scent allures.
    In PLACE of purity, clouds
    carry fertility. Earth and sky,
    intertwined. Raindrops
    land brown, speckle my car.
    Air thick with possibility.

    Inside an urge to cook, finish
    winter staples make room
    for something new. ANISE
    flavors the SAUCE, warming
    with her telltale TASTE –
    a hint of licorice, unexpected.

    Deer nuzzle one another
    on their way to the bird feeder.
    Lay WASTE to what wasn’t theirs.
    Brown bunny nestles into woody
    nest under the Carolina Spicebush
    Soft fur juxtaposed with sharp twigs.

    Evening gives way to night.
    Grey clouds blanket the stars.
    Pulling out thread, quilter begins
    to BASTE the day onto fabric.
    Entering and exiting like breath.

    Heather