Tasting Night & Day

 

—Poetry by James lee Jobe, Davis, CA

—Public Domain Photos Courtesy of James Lee Jobe

the land where I live is a land of trees
and a land of trees is a land of birds
a cold night in autumn
and from above the wind
comes the soft hoots of an owl
it is a melancholy sound
but perhaps that is my own sadness i hear
yes i am sure of it
from my kitchen window at midnight
i see bright moonlight on the tall pines
with their branches moving in the biting wind
the wide trunks are hidden in shadow

 

 

 

 

 

there is always some reason to give thanks
my aging body is falling apart
hearing and mobility are both compromised
like a criminal caught in the act.
thankfully i am on the back-end of life anyway
my diet is shot to hell
that’s alright
i am a marvelous cook
one by one my plants die like sickly prisoners
i give thanks that i am not farming for a living
so you’ve got some troubles
so what
cheer up
it just means you're still important
to somebody

____________________

bodies dead from covid-19 are stacked
like jenga blocks on the city sidewalks
these stacks are the same height
as our mounting grief
how many coffins can you pull out
before the stack falls and you lose
does it even matter
haven’t we all lost already
this question is rhetorical
no one is left to hear me ask it
just the finches eating the birdseed
that I leave scattered
on the cold and empty patio

 

 

 

 

 

a hummingbird buzzes by the lemon tree
which is filled with fruit
the neighbor’s old cat lurks
beneath the lovely young oak
there is a tight crispness to the breeze
that whispers if you listen
a change is coming
and even now in my own life
autumn is easing into winter
the forecast for tomorrow calls for rain

 

 

 

 

 

how does one begin
one can begin by tasting night and day
by tasting a freezing winter
or a summer heat wave
taste life and death
go ahead do it
taste these things
slowly slowly
let the flavors settle in your mouth
and control the moment as it happens
then cleanse the palate
with meditation and silence
with prayer and emptiness
if this tires you then sleep
and should you become energized
sweep the floor or rake the leaves
do these things one at a time
as you do one thing
do not think of the next

______________________

Today’s LittleNip:

death
the midnight of life
life
the new morning of death
oh
how sadly my time passes

—james lee jobe

_______________________

—Medusa, with gratitude to James Jee Jobe for words of moderation that cleanse the palate…

 

 

 

Look around you—the daffodils are out!
—Public Domain Photo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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clicking on them once, then clicking on the x
in the top right corner to come back to Medusa.

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