My prose poem, inadvertently, I disturb the sanctuary of a nest hidden in a clump of shrubbery, was published today in January House Literary Journal.
It is also scheduled to appear, in print, in their Spring issue coming out in April or May.
turkey day with husband’s elderly parents
unconventional dinner of scalloped potatoes & ham
Bill’s pumpkin pie satisfies longings deep within
we play pinochle, Macy’s parade on the kitchen TV
glimpses of sunlight burst through the fog of her dementia
bittersweet gratification, these subdued, slanting moments
hibernation
first snow shelters fallen leaves
cushions them from the winds yet to come
how out of place they’ll appear
against the freshness of the distant spring
wind gusts up to 50 mph throughout the night
emptied feeder whip-wrapped around its branch
another lies broken, mangled, on the ground
Old Man winter doesn’t bother to knock
he forcibly removes the door, muscles his way in
beyond shoulder season
spewing water like a pod of whales,
grounds crews blow out irrigation lines
up and down the fairway —
our end-of-autumn Old Faithful
gentle storm
recumbent siege of ponderosa pine
snow, virgin white, late November
winter’s foundational full-throated assault
obsequious, one synonym of which is the word ‘toadying’
three-toed toad
wove a wave —
aligned with the line
he towed, just in time —
a misfit, retrofit
isn’t this one silly bit?
transition
layer of not-quite-frost
blankets the fairway
an expanse of white
atop so much green
the printer runs out of toner
hand-written poems,
shared with friends —
an exercise in mobility
memories of Quintano Roo
warm waters, pliable sand
the squish between my toes
Mayan morning sunrise
A Sawyer's Daughter 
Chit Chat