This evening cloudscape,

looking like ripples in sand,

whisper of unseen forces.

~

They say those whispers

will become a stormy shout

before the break of morning.

Seemed a no-brainer

at first, but some found a way

to make things complicated.

~

When people meddle

with things they don’t understand,

things will often go awry.

The lingering crunch

of this freshly fallen snow

provides gentle counterpoint.

~

The just-rightness of

this first snow – so soon lovely

and so fast to go.

Sometimes we don’t know

what we’ve missed until we get

it back and recognize it.

~

Constant background noise,

like the drone of Cicadas,

sets our teeth on constant edge.

Cortex for hire:

Faxes sent. Lost iPhones found.

Official letters written.

~

Not a bad deal I

unknowingly made almost

fifty seven years ago.

No matter how hard

we try, there will always be

something left undone.

~

And, therefore, we still

have something to drag us forth

from the comfort of death’s bed.

It is only through

our unity that triumph

can be truly manifest.

~

When we can look at

another and see ourselves,

unity begins.

At the dog park, Knox

is quick to find one special

friend for a rip-rolling time.

~

Making friends; easy!

One sniff tells you everything,

absent a frontal cortex.

Glorious weather,

now that we are in accord,

again, with changing climate.

~

That doesn’t mean rough

weather won’t lie ahead, but

the climate’s changing.

With eyes wide open,

let us begin to do and

undo. There’s work to be done.

~

Lend a helping hand?

Should we even have to ask?

At least stay out of the way!

Mister President,

A thoughtful and glowing speech.

I plan to hold you to it!

~

And I hope we’ll do

 all we can to help make his

vision a reality.

May the next four years

be as full of goodwill as

the last four were of rancor.

~

Rancor, I’m afraid,

is pretty much a given,

but we can still foster hope.

Nothing says rigid

Like the loser’s campaign sign

Standing Proud, still, in your yard.

~

The loser’s campaign

continues as he proclaims

he actually won.

A bird nest village

in one small, parking lot tree –

wonder why they chose this spot?

~

Seems those feathered friends

chose their congregation spot

for some tangible reasons.

It can be hard to

admit your mistakes, accept

defeat and move on from there.

~

It’s not difficult!

All you need do is suspend

grandiosity and ego.

Gutters and downspouts

and clutter and broken tools,

and still I found time to write.

~

If we make time for

what we love, we’ll do all else

with a lighter touch.

Over and over

we have to be reminded

when it’s dark turn on the light.

~

Even with lights on,

darkness, sometimes, will not fade.

Then we sing to lift spirits.

When shadowy beasts

feel emboldened to emerge

in broad daylight, they’re rabid.

~

Once we can see them

in all their madness, we can

act whether they’re ours or theirs.

What can each of us

do to form and sustain a

more perfect union?

~

 Let us be honest

to ourselves and each other

and cherish our differences!

Frost covers the earth.

In testament of chaos,

Vinca choose to bloom.

~

A reminder of

global warming or symbol

of hope in these chilly times?

Briefly he rested

before off he went again –

dog park dynamo.

~

A fleeting recharge

is sometimes all someone needs

to keep running ’til nightfall

At long last, respite

from that omnipresent din

chirping misinformation!

~

By din do you mean

the soon to be absent one,

Donald Omnistupid Trump?

They pledged allegiance,

not to their country, but to

a power-loving mad man.

~

One who wipes himself

with the constitution he

swore to protect and defend.

This revolution

against rationality

is heartbreaking to behold.

~

The last refuge of

humiliated tyrants –

incite violence.

Scarcely anyone

can guess what that mad man will

try to get away with next.

~

He’s just hurling dung,

desperate for some to stick,

just like any caged great ape.

It’s hope that drives us

to dig through many layers

revealing what hides inside.

~

Sometimes what we find

fulfills that hope. Sometimes it’s

a truth we weren’t looking for

Wouldn’t  we be blessed

if hearts all over the globe

began to warm too?

~

They, cold-heartedly,

wish their icy demeanor

will reverse global warming?

I remember when,

Even down here in Dixie,

Folk could skate on frozen ponds…

~

 I remember when

 Jimmy, our dog, skated on

Dixie’s thin ice and fell in.

And so it begins,

the first act of the new year.

What part will you play?

~

Since the world’s a stage

and there are no small actors,

pick your roll and play it well.