—Photo Courtesy of Jennifer Lagier
* * *
—Poetry by Jennifer Lagier, Marina, CA
—Photos Courtesy of Public Domain
and Jennifer Lagier
—Photos Courtesy of Public Domain
and Jennifer Lagier
WILLING SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF
Window on the Bay glitters with frost.
Blue and green tents of the homeless
lean against ceanothus, coast chaparral.
In the marina, porcupine masts
pierce blue denim sky.
Above Del Monte Beach
dangles a leafless eucalyptus limb
entangled within invisible spider web.
It hangs above sand and sage,
below feathery clouds.
It’s thirty-eight degrees, early January;
arthritic hips throb.
I persevere, give thanks for padded vest,
zippered jacket, thick woolen gloves.
Trail-walking companions stroll between
rising sun, thrashing ocean.
We trust warm days will return,
golden poppies, purple lupine
will eventually sprout.
Window on the Bay glitters with frost.
Blue and green tents of the homeless
lean against ceanothus, coast chaparral.
In the marina, porcupine masts
pierce blue denim sky.
Above Del Monte Beach
dangles a leafless eucalyptus limb
entangled within invisible spider web.
It hangs above sand and sage,
below feathery clouds.
It’s thirty-eight degrees, early January;
arthritic hips throb.
I persevere, give thanks for padded vest,
zippered jacket, thick woolen gloves.
Trail-walking companions stroll between
rising sun, thrashing ocean.
We trust warm days will return,
golden poppies, purple lupine
will eventually sprout.
TUNNEL OF MOONLIGHT
Moonlight tunnels through ebony cosmos,
tumbles toward silent wetlands,
inscribes a wavy platinum ribbon
across obsidian pond.
Lunar glow silhouettes pliant willows,
scotch broom thickets,
illuminates Rastafarian blackberry tangles,
reveals duck and goose nests.
All night, sickle planetoid
circumscribes star-pocked celestial ceiling,
spills silver over bent trees, looping trail,
instigates frog song from espresso lagoon.
INTIMACY
As atmospheric river slams ashore,
rogue waves sluice over roadbeds,
fling riled ocean into low-lying homes,
siphon sand from traumatized beach.
Tempestuous wind gusts
pair with torrential downpour,
provide all the justification I need
to cuddle deeper in bedclothes.
The dog and I cuddle for warmth.
Great dollops of rain cascade from awnings.
I become one with heating pad, recliner,
escape into audiobook fiction.
It’s an intimate Friday morning
spent snuggled by fireplace
within watertight walls under sturdy roof,
trusting shingles and stucco
will protect us from storm.
Kee Beach, Kaua’i, Hawaii
SUNSET DINNER AT HAPPY TALK
BAR & GRILL
We mutiny after seeing cauliflower steak
listed for $40 on the primarily vegan menu
at a trendy North Shore Kaua’i restaurant
where we’d made reservations
for our anniversary dinner.
Instead, we drive back to Hanalei Bay Resort,
score a corner table at Happy Talk Bar & Grill,
mingle with roaming mourning doves and Nene
geese,
admire a million-dollar view through vistas
of palm trees, orchids, rose bougainvillea.
Virgin pina coladas set the mood.
We order sashimi appetizers,
a smash burger, fish tacos.
Locals on keyboard and drums
crowd the tiny stage,
perform covers of favorite songs
from the ’70’s and ’80’s.
As sunset paints Napali hills gold,
overhead rain clouds turn pink and yellow.
You hold my hand, kiss my palm.
We sing along with familiar lyrics,
splurge on a gargantuan wedge
of strawberry cheesecake.
FISCALINI RANCH BIRDING
Cobweb thistles groan
beneath feathery weight of twittering
sparrows, phoebes and finches.
Turkey vultures spread black wings,
circle above frantic voles,
send them diving down hidden burrows.
Great Blue heron
launches himself aloft,
glides across misty meadow.
Big bird flops to an ungainly landing
along crumbling bluff edge
among dead lupine wreckage.
Golden eyed goliath patrols adobe trail.
Snakelike neck uncoils as he strikes.
Stiletto beak spears morning breakfast.
HUMMINGBIRDS AT SUNRISE
Nectar sippers appear at dawn,
bypass salvia to perch on oak twigs,
peer through kitchen window
as I blend morning smoothies.
Midday, red-crowned hummingbirds
hover above late fall’s climbing roses,
then vanish behind manzanita berries and leaves,
migrate to a neighbor’s flowering garden.
At twilight, jeweled sprites probe purple sage,
halo my head while I sprinkle peruvian lilies.
Darting colibri descend to reveal
secret trove of night-blooming jasmine.
Nectar sippers appear at dawn,
bypass salvia to perch on oak twigs,
peer through kitchen window
as I blend morning smoothies.
Midday, red-crowned hummingbirds
hover above late fall’s climbing roses,
then vanish behind manzanita berries and leaves,
migrate to a neighbor’s flowering garden.
At twilight, jeweled sprites probe purple sage,
halo my head while I sprinkle peruvian lilies.
Darting colibri descend to reveal
secret trove of night-blooming jasmine.
FEBRUARY TRANSITION
Where did winter go
while we were distracted
by cupboards and closets?
For days, we are hammered
by gale winds, toppled trees,
torrential rain, power loss,
massive flooding.
After a wild night of gusts
cruelly wrenching our awnings,
yellow daffodils unfurl.
Morning sun reveals scrubbed horizon.
Radiant light awakens oxalis, azaleas,
pronged foliage of purple crocus,
fragrant pink hyacinths.
I creak from bed sheets,
throw back blackout curtains,
inventory puddled patio, ice-blue bearded iris,
cowled calla lilies, shattered oak limbs,
rejoice at emerging marigolds and lobelia,
sweep away passing atmospheric river’s
sodden left-behind wreckage.
___________________
Today’s LittleNip:
The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.
―Thomas Jefferson
___________________
Jennifer in her what-the-hell hat
Jennifer Lagier, who visits the Kitchen from time to time, lives a block from the stage where Jimi Hendrix torched his guitar during the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. She taught with California Poets in the Schools, edits the Monterey Review, and helps publicize Monterey Bay Poetry Consortium Reading Series. Jennifer has published twenty-three books, most recently Weeping in the Promised Land (Kelsay Books); Postcards from Paradise (Blue Light Press); and Illuminations (Kelsay Books). Check on her website at jlagier.net, or see her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JenniferLagier/. Welcome back to the Kitchen, Jennifer!
___________________
—Medusa, with a nod to Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 1941~
Jennifer Lagier
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