Lavender backdrop
Purple lavender stalks
exist as vehicles
for bumble bees
we catch
put in jars.
We don’t notice graceful
delicate blooms on thin reeds
slightly burdened by
bees’ weight.
We see the bees.
Stalks straighten
after a bee hovers
to nearby shoot.
Our focus:
capture many bees
in tomato sauce jars.
Metal tops punched
by ice picks
provide air holes.
A few lavender twigs
placed inside jars
recreate habitat
we disrupted.
No thought
of anything
but chase
capture.
Douglas Fir Dawn
Douglas fir fog
droplets on soft earth.
Grapefruit-scent emanates
from crusty bark.
Blue-green branches
shelter me.
Dark dawn recedes
early heat
peeks through canopy.
Glorious morning of damp forest.
Quiet drama.
I inhale understory
sparkling with yellow violets,
Redwood sorrel,
anchored by lady ferns.
Entranced,
I believe this wonder
exists for my joy.
I forget.
I am the interloper.
Bath bombs
For Mother’s Day
my daughter gave me
bath bombs
each with its own dissoluble
capsule containing
a wish.
What could be better than that?
my husband asked
as I paddled
in foamy lavender bathwater
played with tiny bubbles
cascading through my fingers.
Amidst bubbles
I found a rolled scroll
half the size of my pinky
already free of its capsule.
A quote by Coco Chanel:
“Beauty begins the moment
you decide to be yourself.”
I would like to watch you
I would like to watch you
listen to a complete sentence
of mine
without interruption
or walking from the room.
I would like to watch you
look me in my eyes
when I speak.
I would like to watch you
say good evening with a kiss
a smile
when you come into the house
from a day downtown
not hurry to front hall table
to check mail.
Even more,
I would like to walk
with you
breathe deep
talk about what troubles you
what draws you
into yourself
away from me.
Published in The Noe Valley Voice, Vol. L, No. 1, January 2026