Dark Cliffs

Gray is the stone of the cliffs

That rise from sands black

Shining grains of obsidian

Polished by the tides,

Grim and imposing cliffs loom

Casting shadows upon the shore

A veil of dark over a beach of black

And the dark waves that crash there on,

Proud the cliffs stand tall

Against the railing wind

Strength born of the ocean’s wide fetch

They deflect screaming toward the sky,

Craggy, scarred, and stalwart cliffs

Battered by the ocean’s might

Pummeled by the wind’s fury

Worn by aged time.

Grandfather's 80th Birthday

Happy 80^th birthday Grandpa!

Elder Cedar

In the heart of the forest is the cedar that grows

Through canopies, through drought and rain, through time itself

Of merry birds and upfronted squirrels, of forest cats and silent owls, knows

Shelters them in fragrant boughs, cradles them in bark soft

Within the guard of scratching scales green and smooth

A dragon's defense on the tree of life that snatches the beams of sun aloft

To infuse the forest with the sun's gay energy and life

Holding up ferns and mosses to the sky

With green and gray, furred and feathered, is rife

The cedar proud and strong in the heart of the forest,

Majestic swooping bough tips brush the leaders of the young

Who sprout with youthful fever from the form of cedars past

Those of whom the wailing wind in the trees has sung

In the memory of the wind ever may they last

Even as their accumulated elements of the forest

Are dispersed among the new generation

Absorbed into the future as it rises

And begins its own accumulation.

Green in the Forest

Vibrant green are the trunks in moss sweaters

Of the graceful maples trees

That arise from the forest floor to support the peace

Found within the green shade of a deciduous canopy,

Soft green frills of ferns festooning the boughs

Ruffle gaily on the sunward side

Merry adornment the seasons round

On the big leaf maple bide,

Upon these trees the upfronted squirrels

Chatter without surcease

And raindrops are held in abeyance

Waiting for release,

In winter time the sun will shine

Gilding all its rays can reach

Golden green where tis seldom seen

Where in summer the canopy grows un-breached,

Shafts of sunlight show winter mist

Among the cedars evergreen

The magic of a photon's journey

When its life is quick and keen,

Eight minutes out from the Sun to Earth

Where its life goes to excite electrons

In a chlorophyll filled leaf

Unless green is the nature of the photon,

Green photons rebound, reflect

To where its fellows in profusion churn

Coloring the forest its famous hue

Where the leaves have yet to turn,

Green are the photons of the forest

The photons that catch the eye

Tis green cones that signal our mind

When in forests we spy,

Cool green are the ginger leaves

The hearts beside the stream

Lightly fragrant the water cleansed air

Where we come to dream.

12th Day of Yule 2017 CE

An Afternoon on Hurricane Ridge

Sweet is the taste of alpine fir

Crisp with the crunch of ice

Fluffy the gray jay and raven

And unsolicited advice,

Bright are the rainbow sparkles

In a golden shaft of light

Cast by scattered snow

Crystals that were never white,

Proud is the wind that sweeps

Over ridges and meadows steep

Sculptor of tree and snow

The secrets of its art it keeps.

11th Day of Yule

Fire in Winter

Sweet is the scent of candles

Warm the dance of the flame

Quiet the burn of fire

A flickering long-wave refrain,

Vibrant the heat of the wood stove

A cook fire bound in metal

Warming the hands and building

Snapping as logs settle,

Cold is the light of the stars

Sharp and pale in the sky

With yearning we watch them blaze

And wish with their numbers to fly,

Pale is the morning sunlight

Rich gold in the afternoon

It warms the passing days

And marks time by shadows and moon.

10th Day of Yule

Winter Tempers

Arctic is the breath

Of the winter storm

Polar is the touch

Of December clouds

Soon shall the winter

Give way to spring

Though the winter stretches on

As the months will turn.

Shy is the snow

By a temperate sea

Light is its hold

On the land

Bold is the wind

On the mountains

Where it scours and sculpts

With a fearless hand.

9th Day of Yule

New Snow

Tis the quiet eve of a celebration of light

Snow begins to fall on into the night

Tis a light snow a quiet snow

Dense and fast

Light as angel kisses as it falls past

Whispering in the forest

Squeaking on the road

Tis a light snow a cold snow

From which tales are told,

Not the fat fluffy flakes

Of which I am familiar

Like bits of lace

Wet and peculiar

Big and lovely and prone to melt

Fading away into the earth’s muddy pelt,

Tis the small ice crystals

That gather on a frozen land

A layer of magic

You can catch in your hand,

For snow is a magic

Of winter and cold

A magic of laughter

And wishes they unfold

Sparkling as it sails down

Trees merrily to frost

Swooping into earthen contours

Til the land of yesterday is lost,

Snow is Winter’s magic dust

The cold season’s gift

And if the Winter you shall trust

The world you may shift

From that dreary land of old

You know just too well

To a new land of sparkles and joy

For a Winter spell.

8th Day of Yule

The Grand Doug

The fir that is grand

The fir that is not

Not fir not hemlock

Not cedar or pine

Together we bind them

In a Yule tree fine,

Proud we stand them

In a corner of wood

Glowing golden

The color of home

By the table of candles

Lit in the gloam,

Lights are strung

Across their mingled boughs

Red and orange

Green and blue

Ruby poinsettias

On the lowest tier

Afloat they ring

The trees with cheer,

Snowflake garlands

Spiral down

As if a fluffy

Rope of snow

With shining snowflakes

Gold, silver, and white

Ornaments shine

Gleam and glitter bright

Quietly lie

In holiday splendor

Jump out at eyes in colors bold

Icicles fringe the tree

New and old

Tis the Yule tree known as

The Grand Doug!