Archive for Poem of the Month

Mary at the Nativity

The angel said there would be no end
to his kingdom. So for three hundred days
I carried rivers and cedars and mountains.
Stars spilled in my belly when he turned.

Read More

Song

Blue night
and the coyote knows
what happens when you’re not there.

Read More

October

I used to think the land
had something to say to us,
back when wildflowers
would come right up to your hand
as if they were tame.

Read More

Clearing

Because there is the smell of burning grass
tonight, we linger.

Read More

My Mother’s Teeth

came out at night
from the time I was a child.

Read More

In the Eyes of the Stars

Does it all add up to zero
in the eyes of the distant stars—

Read More

Lights Out

Now the moth can stop
beating his head
hopelessly against the lampshade,
and I can forget about words that won’t come.

Read More

Ascension Day

On good days
it appears we are all ascending.
Our spouses,
beginning to complain about something or other,
pick up the soggy dish-sponge instead.
The mail arrives on time.
We look at our children’s homework
and notice their spelling has improved.

Read More

Approach with Boldness

We creak on boardwalks above geothermal pools—
Black Opal, Morning Glory, Emerald Spring.
Clear and bright as cups of Easter dye,
they sputter and hiss to remind us that we stand
atop a caldera heaving molten rock.

Read More

Prayer of the Turtle

Oh, Lord, Most High,
You surely must have thought
I needed permanent protection, and
I do thank you for the intricate
design I am told I wear on my back.
I only wish this house I carry
did not weigh quite so much.

Read More