war and peace

they jam the jails 

these brave Russians saying 

no war 

to Putin 

filling streets 

holding signs 

because what else can you do 

as Putin’s army pushes into 

Ukraine 

where so much blood has leeched 

into the ground 

through centuries of back and forth 

with might is right logic 

but still 

peace asks a different question 

demanding an answer out of weakness 

an answer that is a question 

what else can you do 

Bambi

brown and black Shepherd

Rottweiler cross relaxes

entire leather couch

aftermath

in the after storm time 

this bright chill 

deceptive calm 

but just as deadly 

for the straight tone 

loneliness 

enters the bones 

of the soul 

and the drifted snow 

invades and deadens 

cracks in the ribcage 

of feeling 

but listen to the 

voice of praise 

create a quinzy 

in the quiet snow 

a dome of 

shelter 

in this harsh life 

of fury and freeze

 

white winter

bleak beauty curves earth 

this day at end January 

pandemic year two 

snow settled knee deep 

on this unhilled plain 

far to west and east north and south 

clean clear white 

bear witness 

for this is the winter 

of widespread wishes