Tuesday, January 1, 2013

January 1, 2013

Outside the window, gray dusk,

3:30 in the afternoon.

Inside, one spray of colored lights

Among my long-neglected house plants:

Green-painted, dry twigs

From China

Half-price from Walgreens' after-Christmas sale.



Sunday, January 15, 2012

January 15

Twenty-two seventh-grade Unitarians

Visit our silent Quaker Meeting --

My dear young fidgety friends,

In your massive boredom, can you hear

The Whisper from deep inside?









Sunday, January 1, 2012

January 1 - beginning again

always beginning again

today we choose to attend

to the ancient turning toward

new life uprising

crack open this ice-locked earth




Monday, June 27, 2011

Starting over - in July (new blog address)

I set up a new blog to put "small stones" for the July challenge: "A Stone A Day."  I'm hoping I can keep it up after the challenge.  Check it out!

Monday, January 31, 2011

Monday, 1-31 - Farewell to January

Monday, 1-31 - Farewell to January

Nighttime at the month's end --
Snow skitters, drifts, fills
In footprints, car treads,
Heaps up high on my parked car

Farewell to you - snowy, snowy, snowy, snowy
                Month of January



Sunday, 1-30 - Happy Voices

Sunday, 1-30 - Happy Voices


Sun comes in and out the window

All around are happy voices

Asian, South Minneapolitan,

Grilled shrimp in noodle salad

Makes me smile


We love to eat at Quang

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Saturday, 1-29 - Grocery Store

Saturday, 1-29 - Grocery Store


Grocery store flowers

Draw my eyes, hungry --

But have no scent





Yes - they even put some in the bathroom.

Friday, 1-28 - Over There

Friday, 1-28 - Over There

Over there

Beyond bare trees

Over frozen river

Sparkles my city


Thursday, January 27, 2011

Thursday, 1/27 - Holiday Lights in the Gloom

Thursday, 1/27 - Holiday Lights in the Gloom

This late January, bleary, gray
Dark evening, how my eyes
Are pulled to these

Bright remaining holiday lights






captured by cell phone through car window while at stop signs/lights

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Wednesday, 1/26 - The Anchor

Wednesday, 1/26 - The Anchor

Limp with sleepy trust,
Rest warm in my lap
And anchor me

To the planet





Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Tuesday, 1/25 - What Matters

Tuesday, 1/25 - What Matters

Anxious and dismayed, I look
around the house
for something to remind me
what matters

your face


Monday, January 24, 2011

Monday, 1-24 - The Well

Monday, 1-24 - The Well

       On this gray, constricting,

       Halting day, the answer

       Comes: The Well

       Can never be exhausted

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Sunday, 1-23 - A Pause in Conversation

Sunday, 1-23 - A Pause in Conversation

We fall silent, then hear
high in the chimney
ancient voice of wind
speaking --

               ru'ach



(I also like this picture of the gray sky at dusk from the warmth of the room we gathered in)

Saturday, 1-22 - Before Shopping

Saturday, 1-22 - Before Shopping

Waiting in the car, I wonder
what stories this old, green-shingled
house could tell - now
porch slanting, walls patched
temporary home
to seven college kids



Friday, January 21, 2011

Friday, 1-21 - Evening Snowfall

Evening Snowfall

Even though it's fresh, sparkling
Fluffy, light, and comes
With an easing of the arctic
Grip of sub-zero weather - even so

I've had enough of snow

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Thursday, 1/20 - Daylight

Thursday, 1/20 - Daylight

Every day, sun arcs higher
In south-facing windows
Today, colors gather
Refract in crystal pendant --

White, blue, of snow and sky
Green of evergreen
And soft colors of seasons to come


Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Wednesday, 1/19 - Mid-Afternoon Over The River

Wednesday, 1/19 - Over the River

Over there, over the river,
Behind brick and glass, they work,
My colleagues, all through
The brief afternoon's daylight

I stand in sunshine
Gazing over frozen water

Actually, to take the dog to the vet - and, anyhow, email isn't confined by brick and glass.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Tuesday, 1/18 - Coming a Little Closer

Tuesday, 1/18 - Coming a Little Closer

After coffee-powered workday, speeding
Through tasks, no pauses, I'm home
Tap-tapping on the laptop
At the table, hardly hearing
The scratching, kicking, tugging --

Charlie's blanket is out
Of his kennel
To nestle by my feet

Monday, January 17, 2011

Monday, 1-17 - On Their Way Across Town

Monday, 1-17 - On Their Way Across Town

Outside my window, sharp voices
Insistent and raucous, the crows'
Neighborhood clan gathers, pauses
Then lifts up, over my house,
And off for the evening

All-town crow-fest.

Sunday, 1-16 - After the Nap

Sunday, 1-16 - After the Nap

After the coffee-fueled morning,
Head full of tasks, projects -

After the nap, I succumb -

Pick up a book




Saturday, 1-15 - The Sun

Saturday, January 15 - The Sun

All day, in our conference room
The sun traced its arc
Across the southern sky
Now, late afternoon, piercing brightness still flows
Across glinting, mica-chip snowfall





Friday, 1-14 - Afternoon Snowstorm

Friday, 1-14 - Afternoon Snowstorm

Air no longer transparent,
We push through this flecked space
Transported to no-time, no-place --
Sky, ground, surroundings blurred
Into soft whiteness




Thursday, January 13, 2011

1-13-2011 - 5:00 transit time


1-13-2011 - 5:00 transit time

Sharp scent of newly peeled tangerine
Lilting dance of  strings, Jacques Aubert
Warm air caresses as I drive

Dining in my car again*




*All peeling of fruit and taking of photos while on route happened at long stop lights.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

1-12-2011 - Mid-day to Dusk

1-12-2011 - Mid-day to Dusk

At mid-day, sun makes snow
so bright white, the pine shadows
seem blue.

Now dusk, the snow,
sky, iced-over river, blend

all blue together.






 

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

5:00 p.m. - 1-11-2011 - Doorway into Nightfall

5:00 p.m. - 1-11-2011 - Doorway into Nightfall


here at the doorway of nightfall
there's a pause, a short moment,
before city lights start to outshine
the daylight