Hello, blog friends.

​This week Colleen Chesebro invites interested poets to focus on the sweltering heat in the Northern Hemisphere or winter in the Southern Hemisphere. My seasonal words (Kigo words) are parched wasteland, amber grasses, and desert solitude. I've composed two tankas (5-7-5-7-7 syllables) related to my surrounding area.

The vast desert, extending in all directions from the small town in which I live, is a constant reminder that we humans are guests on this beautiful planet.

My neighborhood is a quiet cluster of folks from across the United States. Some herald from New Hampshire, others from Connecticut, Florida, Texas, North Carolina, and California. I don't know anyone who was born and raised in Arizona.

So how/why did we end up in the high desert? Though I don't have an answer, the residents all seem to have a special love for the natural world, and they enjoy quiet. Could that be the reason? Or maybe it's because many residents are veterans, and there's a VA hospital nearby. Then again, maybe we're all nomads. 😊

​I walk in the very early morning, just as the sun peeks over the mountains. I savor the silence and often meet little creatures. The rabbits have grown accustomed to my greetings and are patient when I take their photo. But yesterday I was surprised by something I've never seen before - a hog-nosed skunk. 

I grew up around skunks, but this one was much larger than any I've seen. He was about three feet long, scurrying across the pasture path, with tail raised vertically. I froze and got ready to run. I would have taken a photo, but I was afraid to move. My brother once got too close, and I did not want to repeat his experience. 😲

​Click here Wikipedia, if you'd like to know more.  

I hope you have a wonderful week, dear friends. And if you're familiar with skunks, I'd love to hear any tidbits you'd like to share. 'Till next week, all the best to you and yours! 

Dear blog friends,

It's been a tumultuous week for much of the world, but especially for the United States. On Saturday, hubby and I were on a road trip when we received a text message about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. The news took me back to 1963. 

I remember November 22, 1963, vividly. I was in high school, and ignorant of all things political. A friend turned around in class and told me the news - President Kennedy was shot and killed. I didn't believe him at first. Who could do such a thing? 

Sixty years have passed but we are still facing political divides. 

I hike in the very early morning. Watching the sunrise quiets my busy mind. And hearing the songbirds and ravens brings me into the wonders of creation. Perhaps this is what all of us need - time away to simply experience the beauty of life. ​Rachel Carson wrote, There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature - the assurance that dawn comes after night, and Spring after Winter. I wish that healing for all of us.

Colleen Chesebro's poetry prompt this week is to focus on the season. I've used a couple terms to underscore my experience of summer: dry riverbeds, monsoon rains, clouds build and threaten. And as well, I've included a reference to the political threats. My simple tanka:

I hope you have a wonderful week. Perhaps we'll meet on the trail -- at least virtually. ❤️

Hello, blog friends.

It's mighty hot in the high desert of Arizona, and we feel the impact of the Silver King Wildfire burning in southern Utah. Our skies turned red orange yesterday, and the mountains disappeared from sight. 

Poet Colleen Chesebro's prompt for this week is to focus on our personal experience of the season. I've decided to share my photo of yesterday's sunrise. It was quite astonishing. And I've written a Tanka related to that experience.

Shifting to my garden, I've included a couple photos of my pumpkin patch. Who knew that a few seeds could take over the yard - rocks and all. I'm shocked every day by the speed at which these plants grow. Pumpkins seem to like the heat, even though they wilt midday when temps hit 100 degrees. My pumpkin Tanka is also below. 

I hope you have a wonderful week. And if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, I hope you have a good air-conditioned. It seems the summer heat is with us for several more weeks. 🌞

Hello, blog friends!

I've another poem to share related to summer. It is a response to Colleen Chesebro's #TankaTuesday prompt. Over the span of my life, I've lived on both coasts and in the Midwest. Now I live in the high desert of Arizona. Each locale is very different, but one characteristic they share. Beauty.

Daily I'm drawn into the natural world through solitary walks. I listen and merge into the silence. The journey is a prayer of sorts, because the dominant feeling is peace. 

Below is my three-Tanka poem. I hope you like it.      

Have a wonderful week, and if you live in the United States - enjoy the fireworks!