At Caritas

I gaze

through the undergrowth

into deeper woods.

Redwoods rise,

limbs link tree

to brother tree,

climbing high

to the bright

coastal fog.

Walking out

I see the three,

still as lawn ornaments,

frozen in motion,

stunned

by my sudden form.

They stand and gaze

and reassured

by my stasis,

at last with lazy gait

back they move

into the nodding

trees.

(3 May 2016)

Redwoods at Dawn

House Amongst the Redwood Trees: photo by Frank Schulenburg, 2012

Shafts of night rising

from earth, climb past my front door,

shade my window, vault

past the high arch, lift

the sky with narrow rings of

never-ending green

as golden morning

crowns with light; excited birds

sing out graven night.

(11 January 2014)

Redwoods

Photo: "Redwoods" by Sonja Bingen

dark 

shafts 

converging

to blue space, 

confining,massively 

rising beyond reach, past 

simple comprehension, they 

shelter or imprison, lift me up

point the way

to escape, to

the thin 

edge of

faith.