Annie and Beth
—Poems and Photos by Loch Henson, Diamond Springs, CA
POEMS BEFORE BREAKFAST
Staying hungry while you write
may lead to some interesting
imagery.
That’s why poetry comes
before breakfast in my house.
The not-so-subtle charms of
pancakes and bacon aside, the
temptation to evade your own
insight grows stronger as a morning
progresses.
In those pre-dawn quiet hours,
while my partner and the dogs are
still taking turns snoring, I come to my muse
with open hands and ask
for one more favor.
________________________
HOME
Staying hungry while you write
may lead to some interesting
imagery.
That’s why poetry comes
before breakfast in my house.
The not-so-subtle charms of
pancakes and bacon aside, the
temptation to evade your own
insight grows stronger as a morning
progresses.
In those pre-dawn quiet hours,
while my partner and the dogs are
still taking turns snoring, I come to my muse
with open hands and ask
for one more favor.
________________________
HOME
A nest built of
lichen and spider webs
sits, sculpted and holding
together on a branch
just well enough
to host baby hummingbirds.
Home is a
Home is a
delicate concept,
meant to be held together
just well enough
to host and raise young.
When examined
closely, the gossamer
threads seem so easily
destroyed.
It is not a false
comfort offered the baby bird.
How else does one
cultivate the will to fly?
________________________
AFFINITY FOR BLUE
AFFINITY FOR BLUE
I come by it honestly,
my affinity for blue.
It’s a birthright.
Tahoe’s shades, from
smutty to cerulean,
informed my early imagination.
Where I used to call home
is now where I get to visit
on ‘special’ occasions,
few and far between, and
short…unsatisfying, but
adequate in the absence of
the deepest hues of my
most preferred shade elsewhere.
Twilight skies, and cobalt
specimens aside, there are
so few opportunities to bask
in the lush loveliness of
the proper blue.
Lake Tahoe
NEWS AT 11:00
Sneaking sips of
"the good air"
is not enough for us.
We, who falter at
intersections, aware
of the power of
divergence,
turn our backs
to the polluted tides
and struggle to swim
against the current.
Vintage dispositions
disguising radical urges,
we capture with words
and dreams
and paintings
the colorful contrast to
the shadow side of
brightened, whitened
(bleached, parched)
News at 11:00.
_______________________
HUNGRY GHOSTS
Hungry ghosts push my shopping cart.
I don’t know what to feed them to
make them be quiet and go away.
The smoky burn of scotch…single malt, please…
Incense (sage and cedar)
a wee nip of pomegranate juice, or
perhaps some peppered chocolate?
Tobacco, or spices?
What will appease them today?
What will lay their noisy chorus to rest?
It’s not the goods they want; it’s the
attention. No wine can pass skeletal
jaws and be tasted; no smoke can be
scented or savored with lungs that are
themselves in dust.
They envy the juice of life that we
still retain, ours by birth, but on borrowed time.
So lift the glass,
light the candle,
burn the incense
and lay the chocolate on your tongue,
lest someday you join the chorus and
become just another hungry ghost.
______________________
Today's LittleNip:
INVITATION
You are cordially invited
to make full use of your
remarkable intuition,
your unique perspective,
and your charged enthusiasm.
“How?” you ask…I’m glad
you asked.
It doesn’t matter.
Work where you work.
Play at things that
make you happy.
Love.
Do these often.
Shine as bright as you dare.
The world needs you,
now as much as ever,
to accept the invitation you
were given at birth…to
BE YOURSELF.
RSVP daily.
______________________
Loch Henson is an El Dorado County native, born and raised in South Lake Tahoe. She currently works as a bookkeeper to support her horse and alpaca habits. Exploring the threads of thoughts and emotions within poetry is a persistent fascination, and she is becoming more active in sharing her work with others, including some of the many poetry groups in Placerville.
Loch writes: The photo below is of me and my horse, Willie. Willie is an excellent therapy horse, and in my other day job, I do Equine Assisted Therapy (animal-assisted psychotherapy for people, with horses on the treatment team). And then it took three years to make the decision to jump in, but I did finally did get to adopt alpacas. They've been with us coming on two years: "The Girls" are Annie, Pumpkin and Beth. We also have a llama named Dolly.
Loch writes: The photo below is of me and my horse, Willie. Willie is an excellent therapy horse, and in my other day job, I do Equine Assisted Therapy (animal-assisted psychotherapy for people, with horses on the treatment team). And then it took three years to make the decision to jump in, but I did finally did get to adopt alpacas. They've been with us coming on two years: "The Girls" are Annie, Pumpkin and Beth. We also have a llama named Dolly.
Welcome to the Kitchen table, Loch, and don't be a stranger!
—Medusa
Willie and Loch