first light

first light
another wave
of morning sickness

winter rain

winter rain
the unnamed
no less loved

last leaf

last leaf
the unspoken
goodbye

leaves layer the yard

leaves layer the yard
my face a palimpsest
of all these autumns

autumn chill

autumn chill

the fallen leaf's veins
tinged a deeper hue

a fallen leaf

a fallen leaf
brushes the corner
of your grave stone

wedding at (in) Sope Creek

stepping into the creek
a new name
a new life

another day

another day
the stilled heartbeat
on the ultrasound

ordinary day

ordinary day
until we saw
the heartbeat

heat shimmers

heat shimmers
fighting the waves
of morning sickness

frog song

frog song
so tired
I can't sleep

day lilies

day lilies
the dormant spark of death
within me

Mother's Day

the bridge
to life
Mother's Day

vernal equinox

vernal equinox
my days and nights now measured
not in hours
but by our time together
and apart

midnight vigil

midnight vigil
what lies after
all this longing?

Abide with Me

Only traditional hymns and classical music played on classical instruments were performed in the rural Mormon church of my childhood. "Special musical numbers" that intersperse a sacrament meeting and give the congregation a break from singing may be sung by the ward choir, a family harmonizing a capella, or a nervous girl accompanied by the piano, a violin, or even a flute. Anything raucous or modern as percussion, guitars, and most music written after the 19th century is still forbidden, as is applause.

One winter Sabbath, old Brother Humphries sat in a chair in front of family-filled pews and slowly opened a battered violin case. He tightened and rosined the bow and bent an ordinary handsaw on his knee.

dusting of rosin
the saw's quivering
Abide with Me

daffodils

despite
the foreclosure sign
daffodills

pear blossoms

pear blossoms
the toddler's white mary jane
on the roadside

early spring

early spring
our footprints intertwine
on the forest path

snowfall

snowfall
listening for all the words
that went unsaid

freezing rain

freezing rain
the words
I cannot take back

deep winter

deep winter
igniting the match
with a lit candle

another year

another year - frosting on my daughter's nose