Behind the Fog
from Behind the Fog
Page 1
Petaluma, 2006
ISBN 1-931002-52-5
$12
clouds of delusion obscure the Buddha within…
Fingers of dense fog
hold my beach cottage
in their stubborn grip.
I succumb to gloom
stay in bed all morning
catalog my flaws.
Just past noon I shamble
to the kitchen for coffee.
Framed by my window
a blaze of orange and purple
blooms adorn tangled vines:
morning glory, thunbergia
scaling a redwood fence
in wild profusion.
Smoke and Mirrors
Behind the Fog, p. 34
In the hot tub at dawn
sipping coffee and reading,
I hear a ping, ping, ping....
It builds to a frantic rhythm
I scan my deck
find the tiny drama.
A western wood-peewee
bounces tirelessly against
an upturned silver wine cooler.
The bird backs up
hops forward, as if to enter.
Wings flapping, she repeats the motion.
Is this drab little creature in love
with its shiny faceted reflection,
a Narcissus in the world of birds?
Does she see a partner
hopping out of the glazed dome
to fill her frame with dazzle?
Finally tiring of the encounter
the peewee makes one last thrust;
unfettered, she soars.