Watermark

Flower Moon

May Moon, Milk moon, you hide
in the rain. Meadows are wild
with lupine, columbine and phlox.
Tulips and violets open their hearts.

It is time to plant the corn. Young
squirrels practice mating in the garden,
all four in a tumble of spring, taking
turns being boy, being girl. Flower Moon,

this year you bring sorrow, and pain. Old
friends fade; old knees complain of the rain.
Corn Planting Moon, sixty times I have slept
beneath you. Milk Moon, smile on me.

Full Flower Moon. Flowers are abundant everywhere. It was also known as the Full Corn Planting Moon or the Milk Moon. Since the moon arrives at apogee less than 12 hours later, this will also be the smallest full moon of 2008. In terms of apparent size, it will appear 12.3 percent smaller than the full moon of Dec. 12.   

At Sixty

The lilac tree should have grown over the last fifteen years, but a June snow took out a third of it, and it's just now filling out again. The birches died, and have been replaced by young saplings. Spike is slipping away from me, nothing but bones and orange fur and purrs.

In this diminishing world, I hear each day of catastrophes, cyclones, earthquakes, drought and starvation; and closer to home, fires, floods, tornadoes. Extinctions, pending and past.

As a child, I knew of these only at a distance, miles away, and long ago. Now, each tragedy comes as it happens, into my living room, where I sit in comfort and watch children who are not mine buried in rubble, caught in crossfire, too starved to be afraid.

My garden stands up in the rain. The lilac is budding. Crocus and tulips decorate the neighborhood. I know this will not last. The crocus will pass, the tulips, Spike will be buried in the flowerbed. The lilac will flower and go to seed.

Now, I close my eyes and hold my cat.

stones on the ground
    the garden wall
     is falling
  

Poems & Publication

 I have been lax in noting that some of my poems have been selected for publication elsewhere.
 

Several of my poems are featured in the current issue of MatriFocus Web Magazine: The Making of Eve; the bubbling place; Fibromyalgia; and All Fall Down. I must confess that I was not familiar with this site before they contacted me, but I think I will enjoy it from now on. And, of course, it's always nice to have someone like your work enough to ask for it.

I think this may mean that I am now officially a Goddess-Woman. The goddess-daughter will be glad to hear it.
 

Tundra was published in the MiPOesias Cafe' Cafe' Edition. Cafe' Cafe' was a poetry board on Facebook, sadly now defunct -- but you can see some of its best work in this issue. I have been previously published at MiPOesias, here and here. And maybe elsewhere. I forget.
 

A few more of my poems have been added to my page at Poet's Corner on fiera Lingue: Winter; How does one come to believe in the moon?; Wolf Moon; and Richard.

If you haven't visited Poet's Corner lately, make some time to do so. It is a great privilege to be in such company, and I'm very grateful to Anny for including some of my work.

 

Finally, for those who count only publication on paper, my poem Raven will appear in The Raven: Soaring Through History, Legend & Lore, by Lynn Hassler from Rio Nuevo Publishers. I'm delighted by this, one of my poems in a book that, if I saw it on the shelf and had money in my pocket, I would buy.

It will be out soon -- I've not actually seen it yet -- but I'll let you know when it's available.

Breaking

A dear friend -- my rock -- is in Rangoon. Somewhere.

My once-hefty 15-year-old cat, Spike, is diminishing, diminishing, diminishing.

Little Lucy is limping.

I try, try to be in the moment. Only the present moment.

But something inside is breaking.

Ooopsies

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