I told my grandkids

the corn was almost ready to harvest.

They nodded.

“Thanks, Gaba,” they said.

“That gives us time to prepare

for one of your deep reflections.”

                                                                         JDG

That tiny deer looked at me

with questions in his eyes:

who are you, why are you here,

 what do you want with me

 this lazy afternoon?

                                                               JDG

Not a detour but a turning point,

this move from acquisition

to relinquishment.

                                                                    JDG

Watching the senior help the freshman

prepare for that first year away,

reminded me of the lasting bond

they share – showed me once again

how loss can sometimes lead to gain.

                                                                                     JDG

Because we’re human,

we have strong feelings –

that comes with being fully alive.

It’s what we do next that counts.

Do we use them to heal or harm,

to celebrate or desecrate?

Ah, if I can only remember this

when they wash over me 

and threaten to carry me

to places I don’t want to go.

                                                                              JDG

“Signal ahead” 

that road sign said,

reminding me

life is full of signals

if I would only look.

                                                                                  JDG

Indiscriminate sun

covers us all with warmth and light,

asks for no i.d.,

seeks no recompense.

                                                                        JDG

No tail wagging,

No rushing to the door,

just a bored glance our way.

“That’ll teach them,”

they seemed to say.

“If you leave us behind,

there’s a price to pay.”

                                                                 JDG