Posts for June 11, 2025 (page 7)

I was my Mother’s doola
her breath ceased in my arms
blessed to bathe her body ~ wrap her in soft cotton
pajamas for her finite sleep

as blotches of red-purple began to creep
her monkey spirit stilled
she shared with us 21 hours of grace
then bagged and taken to the mortuary place
body frozen ~ casket chosen ~ friends beholden

her daughter’s “to you sweetheart” hula & haiku lei 
Ancestor’s from other side appear ~ inspiritu ~ 
gifting a presence and seamless ride

an illumined room friends and family did weave
a precious quilt of life’s sweetness shared 
blessed with a peaceful lucid drug ~ free transition
heart warmed stories loft her to the other side

full of grace, angels filled the place
winged chariot sails to the other side
thanks to God and angels, who did not hide

no one should ever die alone
Mom’s gift full of grace ~ a classic final act
promises death is not a scary place

dress rehearsals, no need, 
wrapped in kin’s Prana Love and Grace
such a sweet sacred place . . .
ALOHA . . .

Desert woman, you are called

By the sun that sears your soul

You thrive on hard dry earth

Within blistering waves of heat

Your brothers are horned toads

Toughened by life on the sands

Where only the bitter cold of night

Makes the inferno release its grasp

You thrive where few survive

With strength abundant while

Deep inside you hold your flame

Close to your very core

You can flash with anger that

Burns with a serpent’s flame

Your heart filled with passion

And pain fused into one

Knowing harsh truths of life and death

Lizards scurry, lightly touching the earth

As they lead you into where you

Find peace in your arid home

round and ruby red
speckled and freckled just so
as a child we grew strawberries tucked
behind the jalapeños and roma tomatoes
near the pale pink peony bush
blooms large as the moon
in an early june gloom
brother and i would toddle
out only to find our precious
berry harvest plucked by birds
of the air, swallowed were the seeds
and sweet fruit whole
sating their bellies deep, those wings
gone with the wind before
i could cry accusatory tears
next year, mom simply put up nets

Trees are gonna fall.
We cannot save them all.

Or if not the trees,
then branches and limbs
down to the tiniest twigs–
even those will be too much.

They’ll say that the trees
are growing too close to the home,
that preventative removal is better
than when the bough breaks.
Their temperatures won’t cease to plummet.

Doesn’t mean we don’t try to save what is falling,
offering shelter and aid to those losing power.
Doesn’t mean we can’t put ourselves out front–
daring them to cut us down first.

Just be careful not to set any fires.
Fire enrages, and it does no good
if it starts blowing back against us.

Even if you’re far away, maintain
cooled heads in civil discussions
with opponents in your spheres.
You may not turn many–
may not turn any–
but the real ones will see what you,
what we are all about.

And difficult as it is, remember
trees are gonna fall.
We cannot save them all.
Say a prayer for them,
or whatever your equivalent is,
then rise up for the next ones
still fighting to outlast the storm,
standing tall for everyone

from the loftiest sequoia
to the lowliest dogwood.

We have all your information
We know just where you’ve been
It’s just for your protection 
Can’t let the enemy win
We have all your information
We see everything you send 
Prove you deserve vindication
Our way of life we must defend 

We have all your information 
We know just what you’ve done 
We dont like the insinuation 
That you dont like what we’ve become 
We dont really care what you’re up to 
We just hope youre having fun 
The enemy wants to crush you
We wont stop until we’ve won 
The law is ours 
It’s not just on our side 
We know what’s best 
Please just stand by 
Through this commercial interruption 
We need to fill up this time 
The point of life is consumption
Since you thought that here’s something else to buy 
How dare you have the gumption 
To ask us why 

We have all your information
We know just where you’ve been
It’s just for your protection 
Can’t let the enemy win
We have all your information
We see everything you send 
Prove you deserve vindication
Our way of life we must defend

hidden izakaya greenery 

why is my period a week late?

Also Called Leave:

Frosty foggy morn
Birds twittering, squirrels barking
Watching and waiting

But we saw a doe
Roadside, driving in today
Long our bad omen

Colorless sunrise
Fog drops like a wet blanket
Obliterates all

Cows across the creek,
Black forms on vanishing ground
Now float in the sky

Maybe they’re cowbirds?
It’s all surreal, confusing
And now dead silent

The white ebbs and flows
We sit and stare at nothing
Nothing to see here