cars from the 1930’s and 40’s
bottles filled with buttons
objects found in abandoned buildings
jelly jars as glasses
lockets with locks of hair
stamps on yellowed envelopes
chipped pitchers holding fragrant lilacs
photos in cigar boxes
rolodex rotary files
steamer trunks with hand lettering
thick, tall maples
bibles with scribbled family trees
barns on the pennsylvania countryside
coffee in the morning
summer sunrise
the blue hour of dusk
fireball cinnamon whiskey
acoustic Spanish guitar
finding pressed flowers in old books
the moment before falling asleep
this book of poetry: The Art of Drowning, by Billy Collins
blue bandanas
cool quartz crystals in my hands
this Irish folk song: Mrs. McGrath, early 1800’s
watching hawks fly
lillies of the valley in a tiny vase
the sound of my kids laughing
bowls and plates
bills and thank you notes
hopeful seed packets
qualities and faults
new books and old books
playing cards and tiny blocks
vintage ribbon spools
days in a lifetime
bricks on an old house
wool sweaters and worn jeans
dreams and disappointments
tulips and primroses
little gnomes on balconies
chamomile tea
space toys from the 50’s
black garden snakes
open windows and cool breezes
Born Standing Up by Steve Martin
bridges and boats
waving people on the Titanic
ancestors on long journeys
mothers holding babies
babies growing into teenagers
teenagers driving in cars
car shows in Ohio
corn stalks bending in the wind
shelling peas on porches
waving from a pontoon
a calm river in the evening light
bridges and boats
i would like to be–
a random Tuesday in April
the thorns on growing vines
a defiant and beautiful weed
the moment before a whisper
a poem on the dog-eared page
the cold river current
9:00 am
Two mallard ducks
Five small turtles
One hawk circling directly above– its shadow lingering
goldfinches, robins, mourning doves, red-winged black birds and sparrows
12:00 pm
Three canada geese
Four small turtles
Two turkey vultures soaring on the warm wind currents
One blue jay screeching in the brambles
robins, mourning doves, red-winged black birds and sparrows
4:00 pm
One blue heron
Two enormous mating turtles
One fish jumping above the water
red-winged black birds and sparrows
8:30 pm
Thirteen canada geese flying in a “v” formation
a scamper in the brush and then a splash (beaver? another turtle?)
red-winged black birds and sparrows
and us–
the pup and me walking by the marsh in one day
the afternoon sun in long, slim sheets
wet earth and buds on trees
a book on the art of Andrew Wyeth
two hawks flying in the field together
Sixty Years On by Elton John
memories of Ohio farmlands
turtles in the mud
the smell of grass
cotton candy sunsets
warm breezes from an open window
lemonade on the balcony
labyrinth of windblown evergreen glades
vines with long velvet thorns
passageways into an imagined past
mermaids reflected in sapphire slabs
quicksands of euphoric golden glitter
spanishwoods 