Surprises

Earth surprises

in flowers

never planted

in love peeking out

of unexpected places

and unfamiliar faces

in relinquished dreams

suddenly coming

to fruition

in terrible losses

that simultaneously

destroy and create

in each day folding

into the next

like Origami

in bursts of freedom

knocking down walls

and opening cages

in the quiet pauses

between each note of life,

earth surprises

Mother’s Day

The earth holds the bones

of every tree that ever held

leafy children aloft

and the ashes

of every human mother

that ever nursed a babe

and the fur of every mammal

that ever carried

their young front to back

and the shells of every turtle

that ever guided

offspring to the sea

and the skins of every reptile

that ever hatched

tiny slitherlings

and the feathers of every bird

that ever nested

their brood

the earth gently holds the bones

of every child

ever created

Sea Lions

Among the waves, sea lions glide

diving, swimming side by side

on pier and rock and windy beach

they pile together each on each,

positively thigmotactic

and never needing chiropractic

Sleek of skin and loud of bark

they avoid the Great White Shark,

but never contemplate creation

or humanity’s predation,

they indulge their every whim

to fish and snooze, snooze and swim

When the world has made its final run

completing revolutions round the sun

sea lions will not stress at all

at the dismal fate of this earth ball,

they’ll fish and swim, swim and snooze

not concerned about what they’ll lose

No need to watch their blubbery weight,

any size to them is great,

diving to depths of 900 feet

raw fish to them is quite a treat,

the sea for them is like a gym

where they bark and snort, snort and swim

They sleep 12 hours, just barely tryin’

-I wouldn’t mind being a sea lion.