a river of stones - Jul 31

laying on my back
in the garden
trying to recall
what it felt like as a child
to see a cloud for the first time

a river of stones - Jul 30

the bumble bee flits
from blossom to blossom
unaware of its importance
in our lives

a river of stones - Jul 29

Awakened suddenly
I close my eyes tightly
and try to continue the dream
to save the poor young girl from danger,
only to have her disintegrate into another dream.

I feel worthless
the rest of the day.

a river of stones - Jul 27

the red-tailed hawk
squeals over the sound
of city traffic

a river of stones - Jul 27

hearing the catbird call
I search the branches to find him
as he plucks the last mulberry
from the tree

a river of stones - Jul 26

summer heat wanes
relishing at last
the silence of the air conditioner

a river of stones - Jul 25

on the windows 

of the abandoned hotel 

  a   

and a

a river of stones - Jul 24

the traffic jam on river road-
an opportunity
to catch an Ibis 
standing on the water

a river of stones - Jul 23

temperatures so hot
even the cicadas
don't sing

a river of stones - Jul 22

I make up my own words
to the song Elmo is singing
on the video of the mini-van in front of me

a river of stones - Jul 21

the heat
            s
         e
      s
    i
 r
the smell of her perfume

a river of stones - Jul 20

staring tediously at the cat
who is staring intently at the wall
it is only then 
I see
the bug

a river of stones - Jul 19

what 
makes
rain
smell

a river of stones - Jul 18

as I turn the corner

the blinding full moon

erupts at the top of the hill

a river of stones - Jul 17

the old maple lies

at the construction site;

the remnants of its tangled roots

reach for the sky

the metal cranes 

that stand beside it

reach higher 

than the tree ever did

  

a river of stones - Jul 16

threading her web
between two lilies
the spider prepares for breakfast

a river of stones - Jul 15

in the middle of the road
the traffic cop
is texting

a river of stones - Jul 14

on the dashboard 
of the black limo
a bright blue Virgin Mary

a river of stones - Jul 13

as I pass the cosmetics aisle

a familiar scent from my youth

evokes a feeling of deep loss

the cashier looks at me, puzzled,

as I purchase the old fashioned face powder

that my grandmother wore

a river of stones - Jul 12

humid July night
the frozen yogurt melting
faster than even I can eat it

a river of stones - Jul 11

in the car rental parking lot
the smell
of Boston Harbor

a river of stones - Jul 10

digging
to plant annuals
but I keep unearthing
w
 o
r
 m
    s

a river of stones - Jul 9

a cat's whiskers

are in fact

 

  as   w  i  d  e   as his body

a river of stones - Jul 8

driving down the highway
the rain drops 
slide up the windshield

a river of stones - Jul 7

listening for crickets
in the night air of the city
but none can be heard

a river of stones - Jul 6

after the vet-
when I close my eyes
I still see the trust in hers

a river of stones - Jul 5

after destroying the ant hill
I can't relate to
their organized chaos

a river of stones - Jul 4

on the 4th of July
the seed pod liberates itself 
from the tree
and spirals free
to land on a blanket

a river of stones - Jul 3

toiling in the garden
the smell of sunblock
makes the passing cars
sound like waves

a river of stones - Jul 2

the cat
sleeps all day
stares out into the darkness all night

    because he can

a river of stones - Jul 1

without remorse
the calla lily continues
not to bloom

Shot Glass Journal, an online journal of short poetry

Shot Glass Journal, the online journal of short poetry, Issue #3 has been posted. This issue offers an international flavor with poets from Australia, Canada, the Channel Islands, England, India, Ireland, Libya, Mauritius, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the US. 

Go to www.musepiepress.com. Click on Shot Glass Journal in the left margin.

Send submissions for Shot Glass Journal and The Fib Review to musesepiepress@aol.com.

a river of stones-Jan 31

one observation

often leads to another

a river of stones-Jan 30

my grandmother's old recipe --

remembering the sounds

of her kitchen

a river of stones-Jan 29

hiding from her suitors--
the old gray cat

a river of stones-Jan 28

the snow settles

on the tree branches

like a Bob Ross landscape

*Bob Ross was the host of PBS show - "The Joy of Painting" - 1983-1994

a river of stones-Jan 27

in the snow-filled parking lot

the sound of flagpole ropes bang

if I close my eyes tightly enough

I can hear the harbor

on a bright summer day 

a river of stones-Jan 26

within the woods

the sound of the snowstorm

like distant applause

a river of stones-Jan 25

after the snowfall

the white birch tree's bark

has lost its stripes

a river of stones-Jan 24

waking ....

to the warmth of the gentle hissing radiator;

to the sun's stained glass rainbow;

and to the comforting sounds of the Beatles

drifting from the clock radio...

does not diminish the fact that --

it's Monday

a river of stones-Jan 23

they congregate

on the rooftops

heads raised in silent adoration ---

the satellite dishes

a river of stones-Jan 22

after a week of illness

even the chocolate pudding

has no taste

a river of stones-Jan 21

glancing through each Christmas card

as I finally take them down;

this will be the last year

that she signs his name

a river of stones-Jan 20

on the day that would have been

her 62nd birthday,

the sun rises over the horizon

turning the icicles red

a river of stones-Jan 19

lining the roof of the apartment

the pigeons roost,

like gargoyles,
swelling their feathers 

against the cold

a river of stones-Jan 18

with fever raging

I climb under the covers

and snuggle to the warm spots

where the cats had lain

a river of stones-Jan 17

how often we take for granted

how well we feel...

until we don't

a river of stones-Jan 16

the seagull
stands along the break in the ice
eyeing its dinner

a river of stones-Jan 15

the river ice

reflects the snow 

piled atop the empty rack
of racing shell boats

a river of stones-Jan 14

the red cherry

at the bottom of the glass

bounces

to the beat

from the dance floor

a river of stones-Jan 13

looking up at the city sky

muted azure blue by the night

I wonder

if there are stars that lay beyond its ceiling

a river of stones-Jan 12

in the blinding snow
the empty birdfeeder
swings

a river of stones-Jan 11

With the email

about his passing,

I think about my own social footprint

that would be silenced.

a river of stones-Jan 10

There are:
rule enforcers
rule followers
rule breakers.
The only ones
not in this airport 

are the rule makers.

a river of stones-Jan 9

setting out birdseed 

and cat food
after the storm...
to keep the balance

a river of stones-Jan 8

new snow

washes over the old,

like the foam from a wave

that washes clean

our foot prints

a river of stones-Jan 7

after the snowfall

the cherry blossom trees are all white

even the pink ones

a river of stones-Jan 6

the bayberry candle

still unlit, Christmas,

after Christmas,

after Christmas

a river of stones-Jan 5

the freeze-dried rose bud --

unaware that Indian summer

was only temporary

a river of stones-Jan 4

saving the parking space

between snow banks--

the lawn chair

a river of stones-Jan 3

after one week
the 90-day water filter
smells like mildew

a river of stones-Jan 2

steaming radiator--

the smell of spilled beer

rises from your scarf

a river of stones-Jan 1

the melting snow
warps
the kittens'
cardboard shelter