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31 October 2011

i miss autumn

a single yellow leaf flutters to the ground from the lush green tree.

28 October 2011

a moment of thanks

rice, beans, tortilla
a simple meal
enriched by appreciation

27 October 2011

after the rain

I lie on the bench in the park in full afternoon sun, feel the heat on my skin, the light shines through my closed eyelids. A lazy, languid breeze stirs my hair.

Suddenly, a cricket warbles.

I laugh.

I know how he feels.


26 October 2011

bad mood

buttercup butterfly butts in

25 October 2011

survival over trust

I gently call to the orange tabby across the street, but it just looks at me with terrified eyes.  Disappearing down a drain pipe with a whispering swish of its tail, my heart breaks for the life it must have known.

24 October 2011

spider chrysanthemum

first thing I see this morning is the centre-piece of my flower arrangement in a heap of pale purple petals on the grey fleece table cover.

23 October 2011

concrete walls topped with coiled barbed wire surround the apartment
a hummingbird's delicate feet find a place between the metal spurs
her colors are lost against the gray morning sky
a black, songless profile
beak sharp as the twisted metal

22 October 2011

changes in the fabric of things...

polka-dot sheets draped over the furniture
how I wish I was a kid
and could just play in the fort
without worrying if they'd be dry before bedtime

21 October 2011

muddy footprint

it's been raining non-stop for days now
and it's beginning to show

20 October 2011

my favourite shop

the tiny shop floor crammed with buckets
a perfumed maze of green and petals
the owner has taught me: rosas, clavel, estrellita, gladiolo
I have yet to learn: gerbera, baby's breath, iris, lily
and so many others that I've never seen before
I pick my bouquet
one stem at a time
always over-estimating the size of my vase

19 October 2011

anger and pride

burn my fingertips
until they can't touch the keys
to write the words
that would sooth their aching flesh

18 October 2011

there's a knack to balancing the load in the washing machine
the thump thump thump as it begins to spin
says that I don't have it yet

17 October 2011

frantic fluttering catches my eye
a bat, I think
then I see its soft wings
a moth, I realise
the size of my fist

16 October 2011

up
up
up the stairs
to the single room that rests on the others
like an afterthought of excess building material

back and forth
back and forth
out the window
a flock of pidgeons

wings flashing white and soaring gray
an interweaving ballet melts across the blue
each ugly-city-bird transforming
to glorious-sky-dancer

15 October 2011

between work and home
the only dog that doesn't bark as I walk by
has the saddest eyes

14 October 2011

newly paved road
winding up the mountainside
still under construction

all this used to be forest
so thick you couldn't see more than 20ft on either side

now the foliage has been ripped away
exposing the twisted remains
of already simple houses

38 people disappeared in the earthquake

yet they stay and rebuild
74 eyes and hands fewer
because they have nowhere else to go

but where in this world
would the ground not shift
beneath their feet?

12 October 2011

between the highway and texaco
chickens
and a banana tree

11 October 2011

clematis twisting around the neigbour's tree
iridescent purple blooming between heavy ripe oranges

10 October 2011

seasons within

I am in anger
the hot summer sun
scorching a blazing path
through the unprotected grass

I am in love
the winter hearth
of cocoa, presents and laughter
snuggled up close

I am in melancholy
the crimson leaf
balanced on a breath of wind
between clinging and falling

I am in joy
the growing mystery
of tender spring roots
touching life within

I am no one season
but a shifting landscape
of rain, sun and snow
mirroring the facets of my soul

09 October 2011

perspective (or ungrateful little modern girl)

when i sigh about the time-consuming nature of laundry
i must remember
the machine does all the hard work
and the clean water piped into my patio
makes it possible

08 October 2011

sluggish morning

the generator at the top
chugs in time
to my laboured steps up the hill

07 October 2011

granadilla

perfectly round shell
deceiving in its orange-like appearance
its hard exterior resists my fingernails 

crack
rip

the top tears off
revealing a coagulated mass of black seeds
individually encased in a gelatinous bubble

slurp
crunch

delicious between my teeth

06 October 2011

a hi-vis vest
over his smart white shirt,
he stands every morning in traffic
a blue pad-locked Salvation Army box in hand
sunglasses and a smile on his face

05 October 2011

pedestrian's commute

car horns accompany my footfalls.
bright-red, 4-door cars
assume I'm only on foot
because I haven't yet found
an available taxi

04 October 2011

blind corner

three directions of traffic
rush hour
lights change
one foot on the curb
one on the road
now?
no, wait,
a truck tears around the corner
now?
lights change
ears straining
silence
quick!

03 October 2011

getting it under Ctrl

Ctrl + O = Ctrl + A
Ctrl + A = Ctrl + E
Ctrl + S = Ctrl + G
Ctrl + U = Ctrl + S
Ctrl + B = Ctrl + N
Ctrl + I = Ctrl + K

my work inturrupted by my unthinking habit of Word shortcuts now excuting different commands in Spanish

02 October 2011

living alone
routine and organisation
become close companions

01 October 2011

midnight pilgrimage

Before the shadow etched brilliance, 
Sound seeps away into the earth, 
As the gravestones cast shadows before me 
I listen to the noiseless echoes of light 
And time upon the walls.

I wish I could take credit for today's gorgeous pebble, but this is one that was given to me by one of my readers.  Lovely.  Thank you  :)