Lonely Winery

A weathered farmer in Missoula, Montana

Is hand-picking wine grapes 

In late October

As the auburn sun, with only subtle traces

Of the hot summer months

Is retreating from

What will slowly become

November

Tropical Place

Your eyes are beautiful

like the stars in the sky

that are shining brightly

as you lay by my side.

And your skin is soft

like the sound of these waves

that wake us in the morning

in this tropical place.

Jacob's Falls

 

There is a place I fondly recall
known as Jacobs Falls
in Upper Peninsula Michigan.
It’s where I go in my mind
every now and then.
It is a fun, hour long hike,
and you can enjoy fresh-picked
red raspberries
on your way up.
And if you get hot
you can swim in the icy, shallow water
that flows into the translucent Lake Superior.
I remember doing just that
with my family a couple summers ago.
And just near the base of the falls
is a little Bakery run by Orthodox monks
called the Jampot,
where they make organic jam
and the best cookies I’ve ever eaten.
I vividly recall
riding our bikes to Jacobs Falls.
It took about a half hour.
Yet I still go there in my mind
every now and then.

Evergreen

A tree.
Green and prickly.
Smelling fresh all year round.
Fallen needles and pine-cones pave
The ground.