Gentle Earth, I beg of you— Whisper to us the first sign of sp… Annul this wintry despair And a season of life anew, bring. From the depths of Baja

You can no more catch the sun Than I can command the rain Yet love is an experience Worthy of anguish for gain.

Often conversation carries Us through the day For talking about things is Basic to an alliance Yet at other times, we survive

It was hefted upon a breeze - As in a warm, flowing current Through a sea of palo verdes - To search for an embankment. That seed of promise -

Good morning, fair cardinal— How are you? How are your children? Your plumage is nearly outdone By the sun’s golden hue.

Two streams that converge And flow inextricably Are like two lovers Meandering about who meet - Not knowing anything of what

Ample is the rising sun That alights the furthest mountain… A carmine drape upon every hill— Exciting the birds to warble. Ample, too, is the evening sun

By a gently flowing creek— I saw a swallowtail flutter About my head, as though meek— And land softer than a feather. He was large enough, I swear—

A swirl of amaretto Revolves in my coffee - Like a galaxy - Shimmering and slow. Dawn is utterly quiet;

Sweet crickets, the tune You’re playing tempts me to sleep. By your tune, I will drift off Better to a place dark and deep. The low moon and toads

A dream is a butterfly Fresh from the cocoon That is realized and soon Flutters up into the sky Or faltering, goes astray

An inhospitable truth I have To carry throughout my life That must stay buried in my heart— What a terrible truth! It dances on my tongue

Weeds as tall as children Partially hide the dusty windows. A long silence hangs Where once promise echoed. Broken glass fills the street—

El Capitan– you are a joint Within the Sierra Nevadas Of punctuated granite - A sentinel of the ages. Sylvestris partition -

Come, graceful brittlebush And creamy globe mallow blooms. The winds of spring call you Again from the sandy tombs. Come, you dashing lupine