The Saguaro

The saguaro

Rises high above my feet

Taking me away from the desert

Life

Such luscious curves

In a resilient growth

Of life

That inspires even the fallen

To rise again

To see what can come

From another day

Another sunrise

As the saguaro

Rises from the air

So do we

Over Mountain Mist

Over the mountain mist

That fills the cactus with water to live

The sun rises

Lazy in the sky

Held up by clouds

Bleak yet wired in full strength

To life the life force into the day

From the mountain tops a peak

Of sun begins the day

Along the roads

The desert life arrives

In the morning gray

The Desert’s Subtle Gray

In the early of the day

The desert awakes slowly

To a subtle desert gray

Upon the cactus in bloom

In the early months

5 before June

To take up the winds

In a warming sunrise

Behind the clouds

Not for the eyes

These grays of life

Bring about the abundance of sun

That comes with day

Well after it has begun

Scottsdale Sun

Scottsdale sun

Running from the cold

Up North where the wind blows

Harsh upon the skin

To take in the recovery

Of light and fusion

Into my own brain

To sort the confusion

A summer delegation

Scottsdale constitution of resolve

Bitter from the memories of the past

In the words of another

To be away

And home

Is the hope

Under the Scottsdale Sun

Camelback Home of the West

To the Camelback Mountains

The praying monk

And the light from the shimmering sun

Over the land of Phoenix

Upon the light set mood of winter

As the palms sway

Embracing for another day

For summer is far at this point

In the easy flow of winter

The Camelback home of the west

In the wildlife of life

Is where you can find me

Saguaro Blues

From the side of the street

To the mountain side

The saguaro reaches delicately out to the sun

For life

For growth

But with the tender life force

Comes hollowed out worlds

That lead to the saguaro blues

The sky down to the ground

As the cactus is laid bare

In a world so ready to move on

But the cactus reminds us that

Even in the midst of the desert

Life can spring forth abundantly

For all of us to see and be inspired to

Live fully

Desert Ridge

The quiet night of cold winds

To the bright day of warmth

Bringing just enough heat to warm the skin

The ridge runs through the mountains

Into the moonlight and sun beams

To the cactus reaching full bright daylight

With creatures small and timid

To the desert ridge of spring

Comes the fullness of summer sun

The Last Lights of 2025

A bid you adieu

2025 we’ve seen you through

From the confusion to the start of nightmares

The year took its toll

And tilled us to powder

To the next year we start

In the morning hours

At the cafe in Chicago

Seeing the last lights of 2025 dim

What brings us into the year ahead

Propels us

To what lies in the last words

Said

Today’s Blurry Snow

Make the year new

With snow on the sand dunes of Lake Michigan

Chicago and the fall of white crisp

Flakes

To take the new direction

That life will bring

In a new year

Of life

And joy

Christmas Dunes

The dunes of Christmas

Shore up on Lake Michigan

Again and again

The winds blow snow and rain

Summer and plain winter

To take up the roads of tomorrow

With the winding dunes of today

We prepare for Christmas

To be together in a warm living room

Together we will be

Soon