Sunday, July 25, 2010

Driving at Night




















Driving to Napa down highway 12,
winding up Jamison Canyon Road
under the night sky alive with light

we see the full moon
shine on lingering cattle,
still grazing in quick-silver shadows
through darkly rising pastures,

and as we glide past dark cliff and ranch,
a new brightness gathers
like a busy, hovering helicopter,
or an airplane
searching for its landing strip;

but never moving,
far too constant to be human,
this bright planet rivals
even the rollicking moon,

this Venus,
mad lover
of the philandering sun,
guides us on
to Napa.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Unripe Apples Fall

Unripe apples fall
and lie wasting on the ground,
spots spreading into brown,
circles, decaying, waiting
for sun and time to gently take
seminal seeds into the warm earth.

Small birds fall
down low
from their high, swaying tree,
to where patient
fallen apples
melt and glow.

Two looming hawks rise
waiting for the time to be right,
to turn their dark wings
and with swift silent stroke
give feathered death
to these surprised souls,
casting them like seeds
into dark soil.



Sunday, July 11, 2010

Limited Vision




I can see 
through the far 
arched window 
nodding leaves 
and bright limbs 
rising over my 
popsicle-stick 
fence. 


I can see 
shimmering, 
blue heat 
rising like oil 
thrust high into 
the empty 
glimmering sky; 


But from this comfortable, dark room, 
confined by dimly glowing walls, 
soft light melting 
through heavy drapes, 


I cannot see 
the whole picture: 


The insect 
trembling on the vine; 
the hungry finch darting, 


or the hawk, 
rising on invisible gyre, 
soaring beyond 
my limited vision.

photo Copyright (c),© 2003-2007 by Soleil Lapierre