Big, fluffy squirrel
looked in at me
holding me still with her eyes
Paws gripping and ungripping
tail struggling not to flitter
Sunlight speckling
an abstract background
=======
Moments stretched
to more and longer
My fingers wanting to tap
toes aching to dance
Wishing I had a tail to swish
Caught in the magic of the light
squirrel encounter…
In the wild places
where civilization
and wilderness coincide
co-reside and co-exist
Bears take a stroll
in the parking lots
deer eat the pansies
and coyotes track kitty cats
=========
There in that place
wild artists chalked beauty
And a happy porcupine
observed with flying prickles
leaning on elbows
in his wild west wagon of joy…
A wave of emotion
an ocean tsunami
storms uprising
or deeper movement
Surprising the sun
with jewel-like reflections
Appearing playful
or angry or brutal
hiding fear in the reactions of others
When done, washed through
all is changed and clear…
Dreams awakened
by a frog on the forehead
have a whole different flavor
Than musings fraught
with idle moment’s fancies
or even whirring wheels
of worry’s wiles
=========
Bless the frog
Don’t throw him across the room
The shadows play big
with the light from the side
Shade stretching and slithering
across the landscape
• • •
She pumped her feet
and leaned deep in the push
going higher and higher
-but never any lower-
As her shadow slid
like a water slick
across the dappled ground
