---

Like a Stone

My heart hangs heavier
In my chest
With each passing year;
One by one, losses come,
Taking all 
That I hold dear.

This skin I am in
Grows thicker,
Harder, than it used to be;
My vision, though weary,
Now is greater
Than the world I see.

My soul has weathered
Like a stone,
Lying on the shore of the sea;
My eyes turn gray
As storm clouds,
Gazing back at me.

---

Grasshopper

A tiny grasshopper came
To visit me,
As I sat in the field.
He climbed my leg
And paused
To share the sunshine.
Together we welcomed spring,
And the new day.

---

A Walk at Night

I walk by night
With little fear,
My step so light
And none to hear,
Except the wind
And the trees.

The moon rides high
And lights my way;
Clouds brush by
But never stay,
Soft and quiet
As smoke.

I pause to feel
Night breeze on my skin,
And listen deep
To the stillness within;
Silence comes
To greet me.

If only shadows
Made a sound,
They could tell
Of what I found,
Along my path
Through the dark.

---

Red Squirrel

A red squirrel sits alone
Screaming in the tree,
Trying to be bigger
Than he knows himself to be.

I have come too near
This home that he holds dear;
Squinting up, I see
What I’m supposed to fear.

His russet body hides
Among the dry brown leaves,
Telling me to go –
But then, it’s him who flees.

---

Sinking In

This house has stood
So long alone,
Beneath the tall trees,
Stretching up
Toward the sky.

Now settling in, 
Sinking down
Into the ground
That it once
Had only rested on.

Bones shifting,
Time and pressure
Leaving marks;
But never quite
Touching it’s heart.

Here I sit inside
Counting my scars,
Feeling their weight;
Now I understand
I am home.

---

Wet Dog

Wet dog, happy
in the sun.

Fresh from swimming
in the pond.

Shakes herself,
and smiles at me.

---

Hibernation

If I could hide my soul
Away from winter’s chill,
I would do it
And be grateful
For each day spent
In quiet darkness, asleep.

But out the window
All I see is the long, slow gray
Of a deep winter day,
Where the sun
Is ashamed
To show it’s face for too long.

Here I lay and pretend
That I am a bear,
Curled up inside
My own dark cave–
Awaiting spring,
For my eyes and soul
To open again.

---

Black Cat

Black cat scratches
At my sleeve,
Calling for attention
She so dearly needs.

From her throat
A purr begins;
It seems she knows
I will give in.

To rub her head
Or soft black back,
To share her warmth
Which never lacks.

Content, she sits
Upon my arm;
Now her claws
Do little harm.

Green eyes close
To rest awhile;
Her success
Has made me smile.

---

Heavy

The weight of my heart
Has spread
Up into my head;
Heavy and dull
It throbs
And robs me of my rest.

Too long, it says,
Too much,
Too much;
This weight I cannot bear
Alone, and so it’s burden
I must share.

No sleep for you,
No resting now,
Together we must find
A way to walk
Through this life
And leave the weight behind.

---

Promise

A patch of dry ground
Among the wet;
Safe haven
For the new grass to grow.

The sun shines down,
And I nearly drown
In the warmth
And promise of spring.

---

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