Trying to compose

a poem while the cat

paws the hand that holds the pen.

~

Pawing at the pen

may be annoying, but is

a step in evolution.

I decided to

walk and read the land and sky.

I’ll read the paper later.

~

This cool morning breeze

takes supremacy before

all that news unfit for print.

Last minute changes

in plans thought well established

seem to be my lot in life.

~

You know what they say:

if you want to make God laugh

just tell God your plans.

Another tree falls

and the birds, squirrels, and I grieve

its most untimely demise.

~

There is hope for trees,

being cut down, they re-sprout,

but man giveth up the ghost.

Where there’s smoke, they say,

that is where the fire is…

maybe our house is burning?

~

Even when the place

is going up in flames, some

call fire departments “woke”.

In a court of law

perhaps America will

right itself again.

~

Can a court of law

reestablish the Justice

we freely voted away?

In this August still

stifling humidity

haste is out of the question

~

Unless you want to

sweat buckets or turn into

a watering can, slow down.

Among the shadows

and the light, hummingbirds sip

the nectar that’s flowers’ gift.

~

Hummingbirds never

alight except in shadow;

sipping nectar on the wing.

Male companionship

can be truly possible

if we bury politics.

~

That must be why male

companionship is really

in such short supply.

Seldom do we speak

of the small satisfactions

sprinkled through our days.

~

They are often lost

in the over-washing rush

of the tide of daily life.

All men of honor

understand they’re duty bound

to those who place trust in them.

~

Self-aggrandizement

trumps trustworthiness in one

former president we know.

Can’t stay with dark thoughts

when a double rainbow bids

me to take another look.

~

Not EVERY Rainbow

instills joy in everyone…

I mean…Trump detests Randy…

Speaking of stiff joints,

how much of an agony

must knees be until we heed?

~

Pain definitely

calls us to take heed or it

will just get more insistent.

Even with stiff joints

the sight of the rising sun

makes me want to dance.

~

I guess that’s O.K…

but no “Jitterbug” for you;

your dance is “The Robot” now.

Why not double down?

If they dare to call your bluff,

you can cry persecution!

~

Donald Double Down

is set to take a tumble

so he creates a rumble.

Watching butterflies

can lead us to sweetness if

we will take the time.

~

Their ephemeral

dancing carefree lifestyle

appeals to work-weary souls.

Again on the road,

feasting eyes on strangenesses,

exotic and historic.

~

Without leaving home

you could see history-making

strangeness on tv.

An unexpected

coolness on an August day –

a gift joyfully received.

~

The flowers embraced

the gentle rain as the trees

swayed in approval.

I missed the forest

while visiting the prairie…

now I long for swaying grass.

~

Honoring both what

we once had and what we have

now – a clue to contentment.

We can spend so much

time visiting yesterday

we don’t have time for today.

~

Likewise we can rush

from one moment to the next

never pausing to reflect.

Sunday stillness slides

gently inside and softly

rests for a moment.

~

And in that stillness,

my fellow poet resides,

wordless and at rest.

On a hot summer

evening, counting fireflies

cooled rising tempers.

~

Cool summer mornings

ease any lingering heat

fireflies did not suppress.

Unceasing motion

is never sustainable:

just ask all my aching joints.

~

There’s always a price

to pay for too much of what

would otherwise be quite good.

Crows complain their way

through the morning mist as doves

coo in soft wonder.

~

During morning rains,

iridescent grackles gripe.

Nightjars, wisely, lounge abed.

Flashes of insight

help clarify what needs to

follow. Sometimes it’s nothing.

~

Flashes of lightning

illuminate and highlight

some things maybe best unseen.

Allegheny dawn:

Cool, even in high summer.

Mountain morning mist rises.

~

Knox’s dawn was packed

with squirrels and he rose hot

to chase each and every one.

Seeing so many

squirrels at the bird feeder, Knox

perked up. He had work to do.

~

A good dog’s labors

wait for no one’s permission.

They’re a call a dog must heed.

That huge red-headed

quickly flew away.

woodpecker raised eyebrows, then

~

He may be timid

and stunningly beautiful

but he’ll destroy your siding.

Love, tucked deep inside,

is looking for a way out.

Let’s extend a hand.

~

An extended hand

even one offered in love

can be taken as a threat.

Broad vistas appeal

in a way close confines can’t.

The converse is also true.

~

Whether limited

or limitless views, it’s up

to us to choose when and where.