in the breathless woods
wind blows in the tops of trees
and rustles their leaves
Early Summer Haiku: Bare Feet
bare feet in the grass
hot sun overhead, in May
with my sandals off
April Meadow Haiku
over the meadow
still short and barren, sun shines
on the wild onions
Snow Farm Haiku
april, the snow farm
still boasts mountains ten feet high
will they ever melt?
April Rain Haiku
the earth shows me how
to open up to magic
with the new-sprung grass
Garden of Images – Women’s Circle Seaside Retreat Mandala
I drew this mandala during a seaside retreat with the Women’s Sacred Circle in Maine this September. We were there during the autumn equinox (Mabon in the Wiccan calendar) and it was a pretty magical weekend. The last morning I was there, I took my final swim of the season. The water was so cold I got pins and needles, but it was worth it.
Gifts from the Tree Friends in Autumn: Two Oaks, Two Maples
Direct experience of nature is a major theme in my writing. Technology has also figured strongly in my life: both professionally and in my growth as a writer/artist. The image below incorporates both nature and technology. I’ve taken leaves collected on walks during my recent convalescence, scanned them, and color-corrected them to document the bright autumn colors that never seem to translate in untouched photographs. Clockwise from top left, the leaves come from a red oak, a sugar maple, a white oak, and a red maple. The sound of the wind in the leaves, the feel of trees arching over my head and burrowing their roots into the ground, and their life cycle which mirrors the wheel of year are all powerful grounding forces for my body, heart, mind, and spirit.
Garden of Images – Egg Moon Mandala
I often draw mandalas. Here’s one I drew in March of 2014, around the time of the Egg Moon — the same month that holds Passover and Easter in the Judeo-Christian calendar, and around the time of Nowruz, the Persian New Year. In the Wiccan Wheel of the Year, it’s known as Ostara, a festival of the Germanic Goddess of the same name in which eggs and rabbits figure prominently. All these holidays share the themes of rebirth and renewal, a theme that is self-evident to anyone who’s lived through springtime in a temperate (or colder!) climate.
Ferry Beach Maine Haiku
last swim of summer
cold like needles on the skin
but the waves buoy me
Three Haiku – Daily Constitutional at the Office Park
sunny open field
soft, cool air of late summer
and the maple’s shade
bare feet in the grass
daily constitutional
sans electronics
indescribable
the pleasure that comes from just
a moment outside
Garden of Words 