The Land of No

The Land of No

  I should have said no to that tenant who left his stuff in my house. I should have said no to my mate who insisted we bike that treacherous trail. I should have said no to that vampire, that leaner, that diva and bully. But I could not. I am too well trained in...
Snow at Dawn

Snow at Dawn

  In this desert when snow falls at dawn my being surrenders to the pristine and sparkly white. I rush into the storm and let the flakes kiss my cheeks and eyelashes, the luminosity fill my heart. Thrilled, I carry this light into the bedroom where I leap on the...

Perma-love

These flash floods tear through and erode one’s homeland. They wash away the topsoil and leave in their wake gullies, ditches and silt.   The first impulse— divert the flow off the land, renunciate it, so it won’t cause so much trouble!   But then the Divine...

The Budding Self

If I could only see myself the way I see my garden…   In its fledgling flax and parched penstemon I see graceful limbs and bold blossoms opening to the desert sun.   In the microscopic thyme that barely survived the winter, I see a brave heart. Kneeling to...

Death by Selfie

She stands with her back to the cliff edge camera poised arm’s length capturing the indigo sky and craggy canyon below.   She moves her head into the frame, poses just right eyes wide to disguise an intruding brow, daring smile to impress friends.   Tilting...