an answer for Ukraine

once or twice a day i find myself before a screen
watching the destruction of the Ukraine
buildings steps away from rubble

where are the people?
the ones who chose to stay
too late to exit safely
the number of dead seems
meaningless in a situation
that lacks an answer

this morning images of people
walking along streets of Kyiv
and through parks
as an act of defiance
a return to a normal

This Morning’s Moments

As morning’s light met my street we set off to walk.

Once home I brushed his wild white hair
removing oak pollen before we went inside for his morning treat.

Spring’s cool air called me out to the garden
where I remembered the tomato plants ripe for their cages.
After placing them, all but one plant was caged this morning.

to Townes

From May until March
I’ve watched you and your parents
rise to new places. Your life
shared with all of us.
The gift of you

sings in the moments of each
turning, a life once filled with
events of the adult world to
parenting challenges accepted
struggle, joy, and delight.

a smile

someone once said to me
when your kitchen sink backs up during holiday
cooking it’s your dead relatives coming up –
they’re angry they weren’t invited
– so when my kitchen sink backs up I smile –
my angry dead relatives have arrived