Mid-May

Warmth returns

to the land

to my toes, legs and hands

and to the way we speak, in our ups and downs

Warmth returns to the frozen ground


Warm breezes pass between us

reminding us of all the reasons

to even try

to stay alive

and stay up late to stare at the night sky

Reminding us: it will soon be July!

January

Breezes move twisted trees
and dried up leaves teeter on the tips of stripped branches
Their quick dances end when their stems are ripped
and the leaves are whipped into misty air
leaving the branches bare

Birds break pods of plants long gone
interrupting each other with chatter and song