undiluted happiness (for lilli)

I cherish these walks

in the rain with my daughter

our realm is painted softer

by watercolor brushstrokes

in this scene of tranquility

we notice little things

often overlooked

a filigree flash of dragonfly wing,

crystal jewels beaded on grass blades

and a small brown rabbit pausing

for an afternoon snack

we soak it all in, eager to be part

of this humbling respite,

a genuine need for harmony

Clair de lune by Paul Verlaine, 1844-1896

Votre âme est un paysage choisi

Que vont charmant masques et bergamasques

Jouant du luth et dansant et quasi

Tristes sous leurs déguisements fantasques.

Tout en chantant sur le mode mineur

L'amour vainqueur et la vie opportune

Ils n'ont pas l'air de croire à leur bonheur

Et leur chanson se mêle au clair de lune,

Au calme clair de lune triste et beau,

Qui fait rêver les oiseaux dans les arbres

Et sangloter d'extase les jets d'eau,

Les grands jets d'eau sveltes parmi les marbres.

 "Singing all the while, in the minor mode,
 Of all-conquering love and life so kind to them
 They do not seem to believe in their good fortune,
 And their song mingles with the moonlight,
 
 With the calm moonlight, sad and lovely,
 Which makes the birds dream in the trees,
 And the plumes of the fountains weep in ecstasy,
 The tall, slender plumes of the fountains among the marble sculptures."

dégagé

dusk slow swans glide

over glossy lake

the old rewritten new

soft candle glow light

ebony leaves dance

on surface twinkling

notes of blissful innocence

moonbeams cast a spell

that cannot be fixed or broken

-ode to clair de lune

calmer seas (song for manatees)

 

floating just beneath

the blue green

sifting slowly

through the reeds

I search for a quiet space

we need calmer seas

to live in peace,

collectively

I feel for a warm current

drifting slowly

floating just beneath

the blue green

to live in peace,

collectively,

swimming on

an iridescent stream

for florida: watcher of the dark & comet star

bound with curious tenacity

burrowing through the barrier

herein a clever disguise

the earth protects me while

burrowing through the walls

I make my home my garden

I am nature's sacred sentinel,

watching from the terrain

the gulf is a galaxy

filled with salty stars

the waters shimmer

like the sky at night

each star is a gift

a precious display

watch them wander

comets in the waves

grandmother's poem

 on a beach in the summer time

collecting sand dollars

from the golden shore

we fill a bucket

to bring home and soak,

preserving precious family memories

fishing with my father

 

my father was fishing

I was wading in shallow water

I tripped over fishing line

and fell head first into the lake

I was scared and soaking wet

my dad scooped me up

carried me to dry land

I don't remember fishing

with my father

I remember feeling safe

for florida: sweet orange & snowy egret

 

with strong roots I grow

delicate branches

I blossom with gentle care

with love I offer my fruit

warmed by the sun

a grove of goodness

the scent of joy

spreads through my leaves

filling my heart with purity

snowy white heroine

humble and wise

eyes intent to gaze

to gather respectively

standing stock-still

beneath a dilapidated tree

a deep sunset

caresses the outline

of a stark landscape

the subtle scene serene