flowering trees

 to the flowering trees

coloring my street

before you can be sure 

of spring,

you do not wait

until you know it is safe

to open your hearts 

to the world.

you do not know

of the approaching snow,

but smile in the sun

like a child.

you teach me

life is beautiful,

no matter how long

it lasts.

you teach me

to start living,

and stop checking

the weather app.

drifting

 drifting snowflake,

calm and quiet.

can i talk to you?

the trees are white

and weighted down,

content to wear

their winter gown.

to sleep with no

warm lullaby.

to rest beneath

a colorless sky.

drifting snowflake,

cold and distant.

do you hear my prayer?

the trees reach down

to touch my face,

content to share

this peaceful place.

the snow lands soft

on my brown hair.

where i land,

i do not care.

skating lessons

Her skates glide over the ice,

leaving shavings, carving trails.

The air is cold on her face,

which wears a quiet, focused smile.

She is not graceful yet,

catching her balance before she falls.

No twirls or jumps- in spite of that,

she savors the applause-

of air rushing past her face

as she presses, fast, ahead-

of her skates on the cold ice,

their long laces poorly tied.

Faint memories of Michigan.

Is this the girl she should have been?

A perfect wintry wonderland-

she slips and tries again to stand.

Beneath her, time is frozen,

but she must not be still.

It's not too late to learn-

to find that fearless, frozen girl.

missionary kid

Her heart's a hopeful airport

a thousand strangers scurry through.

She checks their bags and sends them

on their way to somewhere new.

Her mind's a busy airport,

so they try to travel light.

Extra baggage is expensive

and they'd rather skip the line.

Her soul's a lonely airport,

missed connections to reroute,

for every person who comes in

is on their way back out.

morning

I step into the warm, misty morning,

and the air twirls my hair in its fingers.

I kiss you goodbye, and you hold me

like a big bunch of flowers.

Last night's rain clings to my skin,

but the sweet sunlight grips my heart tighter.

I'm learning to listen,

to let myself be loved and be lighter.

candlelight

I turn meat in a pan

and watch the sides brown.

I light a candle

and sit down.

I observe my abode

and think tender thoughts, 

wooden spoons, welcome homes,

winter boots, metal pots.

I cut up some carrots

and make up the bed,

set the table for two,

picture you in my head.

Calm, content

to watch and wait,

to feel the warm glow

of candlelight.

an ode to my first seventh grade class

Last year, on the back of a test, I had my seventh graders write down what animal they were most like and why. Some of their answers (below) were rather poetic and inspired the following ode I mostly wrote last year, but just finished now.

Elsie is a quiet dragon

aching to explode.

A poet in the corner

striking fear into her foes.

Ariela is a trusty horse,

a steady, loyal friend.

Lydia- a soaring hawk,

it's shoulder painted red.

Nathan is an eagle,

flying wild with energy.

Sean, a sleepy, sassy sloth

hanging in a crecopia tree.

Sarah is a cashmere lop

with silky, white-blonde hair.

She lives inside a music box

and dances on the air.

Nora is a wild horse,

a beauty running free-

but never straying far from home,

loyal in liberty.

The first Luke's a quick-witted wolf,

creatively leading his pack.

He howls along to a distant song-

ideas echo back.

The second Luke's an eagle-

to spot him in the sky is rare.

Smart and well-protected,

he flies fearless through the air.

Wendy is a koala,

sleeping soundly in a faraway tree.

Lexi- a six-foot teddy bear

stuffed full with personality.

Noah is a tiger,

kind yet tough and down-to-earth.

Mercedes- a sweet baby alicorn,

full of mystery and mischief.

Jackson is a falcon,

with an eye for detail and beauty.

Declan is a monkey,

swinging sincere from tree to tree.

Portia is a monkey too,

but quite a different kind.

Something's hidden, something dark

is tangled in the vines.

I end with another lonely dragon

wandering through the school.

Ariel, red and filled with fire,

deep in her cave of shining jewels.

The original responses

W: I would be a koala, because they get to sleep up to 20 hours a day.

E: I would choose a dragon so my enemies would run away.

L: Wolf/African wild dog, because family and friends are my strengths and weakness, I swim well and like it, I am quick (witted and walking), man’s best friend, and loyal to friends.

N:  Animal- tiger. Why- fierce and fab, strong, tough.

A: I would be a horse because I feel I am steady and loyal.

N: I would be a wild horse because they are so free and can run very fast and they are very pretty.

S: A cashmere lop (rabbit) because they are very fast and insanely fluffy.

L: A red-shouldered hawk so I could fly.

M: A baby alicorn because I am often very sleepy, like to play, and I am pretty good at getting in trouble.

L: An eagle. First of all because I could fly (duh) and second of all eagles are a protected species so I wouldn’t have to worry about being hunted.

A: I would either be a dragon or a dog because I am a hoarder of stuff and because I am a follower.

L: A six foot tall stuffed bear.

D: A monkey because I’m funny and sometimes annoying.

P: I would be a monkey because they are crazy and put on masks like me.

J: I would be a peregrine falcon because they are super fast. I would also be a mockingbird so I could mock Sean.

S: I would be a sloth because I would get to live in trees and sleep a lot.

N: I want to be eagle because I really want to fly and eagle has great skills for hunting.