Eclipse was eclipsed

by Knox’s discovery

of nearby squirrels and sticks.

~

Nature in all forms,

From eclipses to lichens,

deserves our rapt attention.

If you’re doing good

so they’ll see you being good

you’re, likely, not really good.

~

The why can be as

important as the what, but

the good that is done still counts.

Clear skies, sunlit trees,

birdsong in the air – why stay

inside when all that’s out there?

~

The air is quite crisp

and the birdsong’s wanting for

the redolence of wood smoke.

Dreamy denizens

Scatter like the fey of old

At the alarm’s first shrilling

~

Those who live inside

nearly collide in their rush

for their morning meal.

Checking out seems to

be our family’s tendency.

It’s about heredity.

~

But we still check in…

with some gentle needling

and unsubtle wheedling.

That geezer in checks?

He’s not trying to be cool;

He’s just an old boomer nerd.

~

At a certain point

being cool is no longer

hot. Being comfortable is.

Trees, bushes, flowers,

and grass all welcome April’s

gift of needed rain.

~

Though rivers run wide,

drowning riparian blooms,

they nourish future flowers.

Fond recollections

and a chance to reminisce

drive us many mile from home.

~

Long drives are made much

easier with companions

and shared memories.

Tricks aren’t confined to

April 1st if you are Trump

or part of his team.

~

It’s less about “tricks”,

in my humble opinion,

than the illusion of “treats”.

Surprising fire

illuminating the night

testament of wedded bliss

~

I celebrate your

fire and the coolness of

what you choose to share.

Saturdays sometimes

bring rest, but more often they’re

used for catch-ups and errands.

~

Those Saturday tasks

may seem onerous at first,

but can be meditative.

No pressing demand

generously grants to us

leisurely awakenings.

~

Let’s treasure these days

and bask in the pleasure of

every leisurely moment.

This patch of land has

held me for more than twenty

years, thanks to your wife and you..

~

For us, it’s just land.

On it you have built a home

and that makes all the difference.

From those wizened hands.

through which every tool would slip,

emerge the most wondrous works.

~

Years have gone into

this artisan’s craft with such

amazing results.

We patch together

bits and pieces and believe we’ve

formed a quilt of truth.

~

Like kaleidoscopes,

what we see contains the truth,

obscured by glittering gems.

Boneless with fatigue

rising from this chair to bed

seems the herculean task

~

Sisyphus says you’ll

move from chair to bed before

he completes his task.

Reminding my son

to do his part, only to

find I had failed to do mine.

~

They say “shit happens”.

I say that’s all well and good

If the poetry don’t stink.

As sails luff, useless,

we flounder without rudder

and we make no steerageway.

~

Waiting for changing

winds, we sit and talk

about bringing oars next time.

Looking closely, we

might find several treasures

we unwisely left behind.

~

Leaving things behind

may not be all that unwise;

looking at their cost to keep.

My soul remembers

every piercing jagged step

on that sun-baked gravel lot.

~

And the body stores

that memory in every

cell lest you forget.

The cats brought a mouse

as a breakfast treat and were

perplexed when I wouldn’t eat.

~

Equal, I presume,

was their stunned consternation

when you didn’t give it back!

Equals before God…

Yet we all, somehow, assume

ourselves to be the better.

~

If we really thought

we were equal before God,

we’d treat each other better.

Even with many

letters to choose from, it can

still be hard to find the words.

~

Some things defy words’

ability to convey

the deepness of their meaning

It’s the little things,

Seeming insignificant,

Which are the most important

~

Looking back we can

sometimes see how important

those little things were.

Our wandering pup

now has a tracker so if

he strays from home we will know.

~

So it’s safe to say

you take due notice of him

and tiled him in due form?

Warm spring evening

Resound with persistent peeps;

Tree frogs awakened

~

Knox listens closely,

hoping it’s his beloved

sticks summoning him.

When a smile comes,

pause, inhale fully, exhale

joy into the world.

~

CO2 may be

a joy for plants to behold

but for me, it’s a waste gas.

Encountering gods,

even for the most devout,

is often best avoided.

~

Divine encounters

happen every day, but we

fail to notice them.

Knox decided to

try out for the opera

when he spotted that squirrel.

~

Canine arias,

regardless provocation,

sure are an acquired taste.

Just catching a glimpse

of a squirrel is enough for

Knox to be off and running.

~

Why does that great beast

relish chasing squirrels while my

chihuahua runs chasing bears?