Small bird hesitates,

then joins the big birds who dine

along the porch rail.

~

Some must overcome

seeming disadvantages

for their place at the table.

Besides politics,

what else fractures our nation

and drives us ever apart?

~

Our fractured selves drive

us to create fractures which

destroy unity. Love heals.

This sunny day brings

a smile after being

awash in days of gray rain.

~

These welcome gemstones,

shining bright in dull settings,

lighten every heart.

I suspect his hate

for everyone not like himself

extends to everyone.

~

When you have no love,

the one thing you can do to

feel strong is to hate.

A chorus of cries

heralds good news: porch railing

is lined with bird seed.

~

Perhaps planting seeds

and growing porch railing beds

would be more renewable?

Fallen leaves floating

silent upon still waters

dancing spider upsets them

~

Such minor upsets

can help us reset what looked

to be a gray day.

Dog killing seems to

be something some Repubs think

they should brag about.

~

But Dog eating, though,

is so unconscionable

only immigrants do it.

In truth, a flower

and a weed can be the same

if we appreciate them.

~

One person’s flower

is another person’s weed

as every election shows.

Hanging by a thread,

that small spider wove its web

undaunted by onlookers.

~

Wary fly flew by

making note in his sly mind,

“Try another way back home!”

Friends and fellowship

hold our hearts in harmony

despite all disagreements.

~

Friends’ minds don’t always

agree. but they trust the hearts

of one another.

Blue jays and cardinals

vie for space at the feeder

while hummingbirds dine nearby.

~

All birds hunger here;

their feeders were all destroyed

last week by one greedy bear.

That distant thrumming

song of steel on iron rail

penetrates the sleeping mind.

~

And when that lonely

whistle blows, we’re reminded

we’re here safe at home.

As the sun looks on,

the clouds ponder whether to

rain or not to rain.

~

Deciding on rain,

the clouds open, at last,

and the sun takes a powder.

How can we describe

that which is unseen, if we

go in fear of abstraction?

~

Fear prevents us from

seeing what is right in front

of our eyes as well.

Their heyday over,

pink impatiens start to shed,

one by one, their leaves.

~

Their glory replaced

by the impatient asters

blooming with vigor nearby.

Between the soft breeze

and the water over rocks,

serenity comes easily.

~

Natures hymns, sung by

rushing waters and soft breeze,

set us gently free.

How many women

did it take to clean Trump’s clock?

Only one. It took no time.

~

Though it has been cleaned,

it has not been sanitized

and remains highly toxic.

Early autumn fog

casts about pastoral lands

a delicate sfumato

~

And it left many

drivers flummoxed as they tried

to stay on the road.

Is counting wobbles

the same as counting steps or

do I need another app?

~

It’s no app you need

to address your wobbled step-

A new cane.. or knee.. or hip.

Generations pass

and the last great tragedy

fades to distant history

~

Each generation

has enough pain. No need to

prolong the pain of the past.

Pond shimmers with joy

as the rising sun

gives it a gentle caress.

~

Pool shimmers, likewise

basking in September’s grace

after others have all closed.

Rush not the seasons.

Relax, relish, and reflect

on this life’s revolutions.

~

Such good advice might

land on deaf ears, but it is

still well worth giving.

Knox will chase the ball,

but he refuses to fetch.

He thinks that’s our job.

~

On the other hand,

he has made it his mission,

to chip up all fallen logs.

As our years go by

the pace of events quickens

until the world is a blur.

~

My grandkids say it’s

not the world that is a blur,

but it’s us old folks who are.

Early morning mist,

both inside and out – hazy

start to a new day.

~

Haze can clarify

our view of reality;

concealing expectations.

Sounds of industry

duel with pastoral noises

forming the country gestalt.

~

Sometimes “both, and” can

leave us with the worst of both

and leave us discontented.

September has brought

sunny and cool days, giving

us a needed break.

~

Glorious it is

this alchemical melding-

warming sun and cooling breeze.

Things get messier

every time we start to clean,

or, at least, that’s how it seems.

~

It seems we manage

not to see the state of things

til we’re ready to begin..

Isn’t it wild

that Peter Piper could pick

peppers pickled on the vine?

~

That’s as wild as

Donald Duck’s delusions of

Democratic defections.

Remember last week,

smiling in warm regard

for the temperate reprieve.

~

The only thing we

count on is change as changing

temperatures show us so well.