Rain in June

Surprising like a rainbow in the desert
Deserts are full of surprises
Whether to take an umbrella
Across the Sahara, crying camel tears
Hyenas eat your hearts out
Because we are always thirsty
Whether for peace or adventure
Digging dry wells under the umbrella
If we were happy we would put down roots
Unfurl our branches to the sky
Whether it brings sunshine or rain
Soaking it in
Unmoved, unmoving

A Good Pint of Guinness

Though I've never set foot on the Emerald Isle
a good pint of Guinness does make me smile
when I'm in Marin
at the Pelican Inn
with a swim and a hike eating bangers in style

An Epiphany of Tree

On the way out we photograph the tree
alone or one at a time

The tree is too big for our cameras
our screens

It doesn't fit in our eyes

We must take in a bit at a time
like the blind men and the elephant
separated by our perceptions

Maybe the tree is really a God
the earthly manifestation of a higher dimension
and photographing it is like
skipping to the good part of the song
which is an epiphany only in context

Alamere Falls

A sign points to a maze of thicket
Watch out for the poison oak
I have been guide and guided
led my blind friend down the sandstone pipe
in a hailstorm only to turn around
at the overflowing stream

The first time I came here
a beautiful woman sat
buddha-like by the clear green pool
across stepping stones
I splashed my face
meditated at the cliff's edge

The Farrallones shimmered on and off the horizon

Once a whale pelt lined the beach
with the stench of rotting flesh
seagulls relished the fatty meal

I have caught rainbows in the tumbling water

You may never return and reach the waterfall
or see my rainbow tears

Always the vultures, watching
to them I must open my heart

Bass Lake

Wind brushed meadows
tumble over violent cliffs
down to the raging, rocky sea
redeemed by daisies

Even hemlock is laced with flowers

The evergreen thrill of the Tarzan rope
stuns the deep woods with merry shrieks

My son and I swim round the emerald lake
conjuring up old friends in conversation
this place thick with the magic of memory

Looking At Houses

Houses are full of dreams
you imagine lazy garden afternoons
daydreaming
evenings cooking and drinking wine
winters hibernating in the attic

Attics are full of loneliness
adults acting like children
children playing in the treehouse

How many lives has this house seen?
Centenarian
never too old
to keep from fulfilling
so many dreams

Studying Yoga

You haven't learned yoga until you practice alone
standing in relationship with the Universe
breathing it in and out
being the door