one payment, two rewards

 aching to help my independent offspring

whose pride of self and generous spirit

i would not hurt for any gain

and now i can assist by spending

what i would have at any rate

but applying it to a cost she could not pay

delicious fear

our discovery of delicious fear

in spooky darkness

moderated by dancing campfire light

surrounded by friends and family

listening together to storyteller

whose many voices send

chills into the marrow of our bones

so long as we know we are safe

de-desiccating

cold rain, so long forgotten

for these drought dust months

green now as though each raindrop

painted blade after blade

leaf upon leaf

with the promise that not all seasons

are bone-desiccating summer

fall of yellow

a breeze

and its rain of yellow

leaves, warmth

of a golden summer

sun grown ripe

ready for the fall        

revelation

story-teller’s tone, inflection

expression and body language

as he sits, hovers, bends, twists

against the flickering firelight

recreating, intensifying, revealing

teaching us to re-think, re-feel

re-live the vastness and wonder

of our lives

october gratitude

 bright sunlight filtered

by autumn-tinted leaves

brilliant, exotic flashes

of unsung colors

quicken my pulse

awaken my need to give thanks

aruna

a gentle peace corps volunteer

in fiji meets vivacious, adventurous

beauty and falls into a love that lasts

decades of shared sorrows, accomplishments and joys

his service to the world has built

the core of his full world

reward enough and plenty

fool time

darker now, we turn on lights

seek entertainment while our bodies cry for rest

awaken to annoying, fabricated noises before refreshed renewal completed

live by the rule of the clock rather than the rhythm of earth

and now contemplate changing to daylight savings all year

with noon when the sun is not high overhead

reader comment about October mjNewsletter

"You touch beautifully so many aspects of your and others' experiences (family, friends, a queen), glimpses of personal journeys, sweet, sad and tender-hearted , elements of surprise, puzzlement, pondering. Love your opening statement about open minds and the art pieces that enhance your wods. So much food for thought to be read again and again." S.A., Oregon

tell tale

textured bark

twisted limbs

of gnarled tree

we cower

realizing its storms

could break upon us as well

sea witch

tentacles wired

to reach out and curl, costume

for fun halloween

ah!

 still he waits

quietly forgiving

gently accepting

            mjNordgren  10/11/2022  N

orange moon fleeing

part ripe, orange harvest moon

part eaten by earth’s shadow

pales yellow as it rises

as though drained and frightened

at its need to flee from costumed

humans preparing to celebrate

halloween

gray awaiting sunrise in october

gray haze between the hills

spread out and lingering

as though reluctant to rise

until touched by dawn’s warmth

california quail ‘hurrah’

two california quail lift heavily to the second story

of plant- and bird-feeder, settling broad girth amid the seed

spilling hulls and seed on nasturtiums, stand and porch floor below

i’ve never heard a california quail ‘hurrah’

but the enthusiastic waggle of question marks above their foreheads

must have conveyed other mothers’ and chubby half-dozen offspring’

gratitude for the quailfall

such little things move mountains

raindrops slide mountain-sides into scree

tender shoots push upward through soil as plant starts

root fingers lift concrete walkways

a snide word leads to blood feud

a thoughtless snub to sadness

bitter labels and recriminations to a child’s loss of self-worth

an unexpected compliment produces a smile at being recognized

a word of praise can change a day toward kindness

k island summers

island off sandusky in lake erie

housed our family summers

during the few years that i remember of world war two

uncles on leave visiting in uniform

campfires on the rocky shore - s’mores, singing and stories

invitations to all who wandered by as sparks burst up into the darkness

and stars laughed above us

                               mjNordgren  10/4/2022 

volume setting

claxon of threat

whisper of hope

wet tinged

rain

not as in florida’s torrents, but gentle, welcome

the first time in months my lawn has been tinged

with green rather than straw brown

empty nest echoes

atop of utility pole is the empty osprey

nest of rugged, twisted branches

my offspring, too, have flown on to their own lives

but i have kept my home so filled

with the echoes of their laughter, questions and insights

a place of growth and deepening understanding

love and acceptance

                                    mjNordgren  9/28/2022  N