JoAnn Early Macken

 

last riverside walk
farewell beavers, turkeys, coyotes
golf course reopens

Earth Day river cleanup
many small contributions
add up to big change

what to do with these
clenched fists--write poetry,
sew face masks, plant seeds

new morning routine
coffee, muffin, riverbank
before crowds arrive

half my steps today
up and down this hill--maybe
this year I'll keep up

somber morning walk
bones amid the greenery
o, this deadly spring

quiet park lagoon
grebe, merganser, muskrat, geese
distant siren wails

big mistake last night
reading the news at bedtime
nightmares all night long

picking up dog food
newfangled shopping adventure
topsy-turvy world

brave Wisconsin voters
stood in line for hours--
six feet apart for hours--
stood outside in the rain

brave Wisconsin voters
stood up to voter suppression
stood up to gerrymandering
to show the world that this is what
democracy looks like now

may they all be safe

busy morning--I'm
rarin' to go until (thud)
oh, yeah--I remember

this morning's service
white-throated sparrow chorus
sings Alleluia!