Those San Antonio Moons

When multiple moons

glowed through our hotel window,

I knew we had to

cut back on Texas moonshine.

Soon I was relieved

to find those many moons weren’t

Texas excess. They

were simply shining orbs from

a nearby parking garage.

JDG

Unforsaken

Moving into my new office, I was sad.

I knew I’d miss my friends

the birds who visited regularly,

perching on my second story window ledge,

nesting in nearby holly trees.

But

the word went out

and they came here: robins,

sparrows, cardinals, jays –

the old gang- and even though

I have no trees, I have

a ground floor window ledge

where they still visit me.

JDG

Quite A Collection

It’s quite a collection, this,

of dogs and cats and books and kids,

of doors opened and doors closed,

of dripping faucets and weeds grown tall,

of hummingbirds and cawing crows,

of wasps and bees and peonies

and, of course, there’s always George,

the fish who’s been caught many times –

all these make up the collected works called HOME.

JDG

Today I Celebrate

Having lost my mother when we both were

young, I have found

mothering

in good

friends.

They

have loved

and challenged

me, guided and

sustained me. Today I celebrate friends.

JDG

His Light Still Shines

Cotton clouds crowded

the bluest of skies as friends

and family came

together to celebrate

the life of Gus Deeds. Music,

poems, and stories

paid tribute to this young man,

an inspiration,

comfort, guide, and endless source

of laughter and fun

to campers, counselors, and

staff at Nature Camp.

Here, in the Blue Ridge Mountains,

his laughter and light still shine.

JDG

Dazzled

Watching the sun light

up the land and dance among

the trees, I’m dazzled,

not just by the light, but

by how quickly things

can change. After days of rain,

rain, rain, the clouds shift

from gray to pink to white, but

by noon that self-same

day the sun has hid and we’re

back to gray – though it won’t stay.

JDG

It Can Wait

Two mallard ducks, circling the pond in

early morning

light, call out,

“Stop and

look.”

I

call back,

“I’ll try but

I have stuff to

do.” “It can wait,” they say and so I do.

JDG

Winter Ways

Winter woes remain.

Though spring has come, so has

icy rain and snow.

~~

~~

What? Those snow flurries

failed to close the schools this time?

– a winter wonder.

~~

Winter wind blows cold,

chases the warmth away, leaves

behind these poems.

JDG

Renewal

The full moon smiles

back at itself – deep meeting

deep in sky and lake –

darkness lightly holding all –

sky and lake, moon, and me.

JDG

A Place Of Wonder

No snowflakes in sight

so this winter wonderland

must find its wonder

in another place. Perhaps

it lies in a child’s eyes.

JDG