Rain Walk

into the gentle rain
the mist a delicate veil
the world seems a slow heartbeat
sending rhythmic indolence
to my marching toes

Flowers for L

She adores the field
of goldenrods
and loves it above
the mountain summit

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This Way Down

as we gaze from the bluff
the river a shining ribbon
we laugh and find each other —
shall we take a plunge?

My Excuses to the Mountaintop

To the zenith I have climbed
in my own sweet wandering time:
Our meeting was a foregone eventuality
but less certain was the punctuality.

Unexpected, on a Hike

I have wandered down
the wrong trail
only to find
flabbergasted deer

Sheep Surprise

a lone hiker cresting
over the mountains…
two woolly locals!

Planning for Time

Along the path back
I met two hikers
a man and a woman
hand in hand
with two IVs dangling
from their free arms.

I spoke with them about the climb.
Satisfied, they turned to each other.

The woman, who called herself Loso
was impatient to reach the top
to see the sun rise.

I had not seen it myself
but it would take far longer —
more than the 15 minutes
she thought it took
to reach the peak.

The sky was already lightening.
Sunrise had come and gone
while we conversed;
now it was white.

Only I noticed.

I apologized for how long
I had kept them,
not feeling sorry for
the extra minutes that wouldn’t
have made a difference.

I was sorry that
it was too late —

They hurried off.

Writer’s Note: This was an actual dream I had two days ago.

Two Odes to Bear Mountain

photo credit: T. Wong @ redgladiola

I.

Three horizons:
two hills in front as I know them
and another one behind.

Where it touches the sky,
a third range of blue shadow:
the train of night
not quite fallen away.

II.

From the highest
point, not even a bird.
The silence pristine
and I, another boulder or tree.

Pines Over Hiking Trail

Against red clay walls
Green sentinels stand silent
Reverent trespasser