emerging

 gentle chat and chuckles

as my daughter emerges

from anesthesia

expertly poisoned to sleep

through surgery pain

long term project

push and pull of commitments

unsettle toward anxiety

learning to find peace within self

needs self-discipline

and acceptance of failures

how much more difficult then

peace in the world

theron

i asked for help understanding

from a man raised in a different

culture, a worldview i do not grasp

for my characters are men

of that tradition and i want them

to be true to what they believe

not caricatures from my prejudice

my friend answered with a book

of his own with depth of finding

self in the tradition of battle

so foreign to his own sense of being

december’s first

white bits so small, not qualifying

as flakes but mere sparkles

but persistent

white bits joining, growing, falling

as snowy individuals causing

raised eyebrows in surprise

then frowns of scrutiny to be sure

then smiles and whispers of discovery

as neighbor tells neighbor

“It’s snowing!”

bereft

the ache of old friends dying

surrounded by love and family

how can we console young men

who have watched comrades

torn apart in distant battles

and pretend they should return

to ‘normal’ without our understanding

not above question

at 34000 feet the clouds a fleecy blanket

moon-enchanted to pearly gray-white

Mt. Jefferson a looming black triangle

penetrating the woof and weave

occasional eerie glows haunt the pattern

as cities’ fear to yield to night’s darkness

pierces what Nature had enjoyed for eons

human ingenuity using energy against

what has long sufficed for uncertain gain

pelican over Tulum

angular hieroglyph above Mayan ruins

juts forth its distended jaw

extending in sharp angles

then compacting again as though

it will dive on unsuspecting prey

but, deciding otherwise, stretches

out once more and flaps full wings

devouring a path in the sky

a Swedish Proverb

 I'd like to share with you a Swedish proverb that I found inspirational. 

"Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours."

A simple recipe for a better life. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

o’s

 slender hope in oregon

to see leonid meteor shower

our night skies in november

are nearly always misty

if not pouring down rain

but the wet beats

shoveling snow off the roof

as we did in ohio

welcome barrier

toughened bare feet so the cold

is recognized but does not, for a beat,

spread through my being when i step into light snow

i can dash to do what needs be and hurry back to shelter

without chill if i am quick

how i wish my anger knew such a buffer before erupting

fall of yellow

a breeze

and its rain of yellow

leaves, warmth

of a golden summer

sun grown ripe

ready for the fall        

tell tale

textured bark

twisted limbs

of gnarled tree

we cower

realizing its storms

could break upon us as well

knowing the pulse

driving by trees thinking of changing to autumn attire

reaching the coast watching waves eternal rhythmic nibbling at the shore

knowing the pulse of life

i seldom slow enough to feel

                        mjNordgren  9/25/2022  N

generous spirit

her generosity of soul giving again and again

where those who receive think not of returning

or even of carrying their own weight

how do i protect her?

or would i be interfering?

tall tail

tall tail

 does emerge from the tall grass at the slope of my yard

stately now, and intent on feeding

the cold mornings have heralded the coming of fall and winter

yesterday a spring-born youngster wandered onto my lawn

curious about the california quail and tin bucket until

he realized mama deer was nowhere in sight

like a child, he splayed his feetin sudden sweeps of his head to look

and bounded off into the tall grass after her

mumble mutter

ranting and swearing are not my thing

although i can mumble with the best of them

under my breath

perhaps it is healthier than turning myself inside-out

with sadness over something i cannot control or even change

drat it all!

straw elderly

straw elderly

 oblong hay bales

stacked, columns leaning

into one another

like old married folks

unsteady on their own

but holding each other upright

green signs

tint of green among the yellowed blades of grass

there must have been rain in the night

or dew or blessing congregations of mist

to resurrect parched life after long summer drought

                        mjNordgren  8/21/2022  N

of many greens

 so many intensities and hues of green

lime, jade, khaki, sea, bottle, emerald

pale near white, sickly gray

greens barely lifting from yellow; and those leaning hard on blue

jubilant greens with silver bellies flashing joy in the caress of the wind

tall, stately, haunting forest greens

mocking takeover blackberry leaves

with stems of thorns bruising black and pricking red to mimic ripening fruit

tender blades, fragile with new spring

tough corn husks, tanned brown to protect luscious yellow kernels

summer-suffering dirty, gray-brown

greens begging for autumn rains

evergreens dotting fields of snow

promising myriad greens if the rolling seasons continue to come

               Forest Grove to Lincoln City

we have drunk full

we have drunk full, my love
swelled with the rynthm of incoming waves pounding earthly shore
connecting anemone, zebra,
and human

we have felt the tumult
of birthing waves roiled by breezes, currents, tides
our peace landed in stars

we have known
hovering, intense sky
algid, bleak, raw cold
embrittled bare twigs scratching
at ice-laced windows when frost
has cemented each breath of life
and each inhalation burned

you reached out
reminding me that love
like life
is gift watched over by angels

my love, we have drunk the wind