Paper

fine handmade Washi
creased and folded into art
by talented hands

watching the birth
of an origami
lobster

Tenacity

thrust from a cliff side
tangled and sinuous roots
seeking some purchase

life
defiantly
persevering

Loss

glowing embers blow
through gnarled ashen limbs and
pallid withered leaves

a cigarette butt
untold miles of
scorched forest

Aurora

coruscating veils
of yellow, purple, and green
midnight in Norway

pebbled skin
perfectly
camouflaged

Future

encouraging words
left in the chinks in my walls
for my future self

in a sky blue egg
cracks begin
to appear

Folly

these poorly built walls
of isolationism
so easily breached

a spreading oak
the cat awaits
her safe descent

Danger

a clandestine tryst
made all the more exciting
by the recklessness

high desert sun
entwined eagles
fall to the earth

FUD

a misty red haze
growing stronger feeding on
hate, fear, and anger

cold rain
wolves circle
a wounded deer

Hamadryad

as one with her tree
longing for the one true love
she can never have

high in the branches
she watches him
ride away

Shoreline

staring at the stars
she walks in the warm surf while
winds tousle her hair

herring gulls
skimming on the
offshore breeze