They say that space is truly silent, and in space, nobody hears you cry when you die. By the [human] 20th century, the know-to-them spacefaring races had settled into a form of stasis: some were on the up, some on the down, some were boots, some under the boot. But the Second Force of the Universe: Self-Interest and the Third: Apathy had collided and depleted the urge for vigorous conquest, and so, the Fourth: Stasis had...

I A blanket of stars, bright as they are, twinkle and Dance from here to there across the indigo sky; The luminous moon peers down at the earth and Nightingales sing sweet lullabies, Lulling infants in mothers' arms to sleep. Petals of flowers close into themselves As twilight fades to night: All is at peace. II Large branches of an oak tree hang over water As I swing on a tree swing, Overlapping waves create for me A rhy...

I I was enamored by a dream that illuminated my mind and body, my heart and soul filled with peaceful joy; for I remember wanting to remain in my slumber of delight, envisioning the Star of the Sea and Glowing Furnace of Charity. And in my dream, the fair Woman Clothed with the Sun, sweet Mystical Rose, wrapped Her mantle of maternal protection around me while singing the Magnificat, Her favorite hymn; the Abode of Justic...

I know a quiet girl so shy, Head down, she rarely speaks. She fears the world around her— Anxiety's technique. ♡♡♡ Her salty tears shroud bright blue eyes, But no one sees her cry. The corner is her friend for now; She prays pain says, “Goodbye.” ♡♡♡ No hope in sight, her eyes snap shut; She dreams a little dream. Creating worlds where she'll belong— A rainbow-colored scheme. ♡♡♡ She'll dance on clouds and find her voice;...

He hadn't planned this. No one ever planned to be homeless. A few more conscious passersby noticed the tragic irony of where he slept. Directly above him was a store window showcasing a fanciful adorned bed, complete with fluffed pillows, fur blankets, and satin sheets. His bed for the night – a bitter-cold, unforgiving pavement. Those who dared soil their perfect lives by glancing his way either thought him asleep or pas...

The vacant, old house at the end of the lane beckons me. They always do - the dilapidated and forgotten. There is an appeal others overlook. Unable to resist its quietness, I settle in, deciding to call this place home. The wind blows through the window cracks, but it doesn't bother me. Oddly, I feel comforted in the chilled corners of the room - a warm welcome of sorts. Dust adorns the mantel. Cobwebs decorate the bland...

I tilt my face toward the sky And welcome the rain Let it pour over the rage Sticking to my skin It pounds with my pulse, Wars outside and in Bathes me in the ferocity of  Storms   Blinding Deafening Obliterating   The drops slow to nothing Winds fall from the sky Both folding back To allow her forward   And I know her   Beauty glows inside my skin Warms my body, My eroded heart, Bloats me with purity Leaves me purged of...

Lavi stood in the cool dew-covered field. She loved the feel of the dampness on her toes. In this moment of meditation with the bird’s screams bouncing off her ears, she felt connected with the earth.  Soon the field would be stamped down; run over by the tires of rubes coming to enjoy the sights and sounds. By children running here and there, stuffing their faces with cotton candy or candy apples. The bright red sticky t...

THE WINTER OF 1946-47 was long and cold in northern Montana. On Christmas Day my father pulled me on my brand-new sled to a neighbor's house, where we borrowed a load of firewood that we stacked on our back porch. I seem to remember that the thermometer read --55 that day, but childhood memories are notoriously suspect. Nonetheless, it was very cold. Flathead Lake froze so thick people drove across the ice for two months...

Two reside within these walls but not the walls you expect within me there are twin egos fighting to be one again   one is playful and sassy too one is quite straight laced but when the two combine as one the fun really starts to begin   now one we will call leather and the other one lace but together they are wild and most of the time hard to resist   born as one but split late in life when things were out of control whe...

Wanderlust trips erratic rambles Blazes me forward without any thought Brooks effuse productive gurgles Splishing down the bump'ety walk   My soul is petted by the forest Soothing silence, natures' seductive caress Thought is washed from every crevice Vacuums of blankness, my perfect bliss   Lying still, birdsong slowly fades The crickets begin their symphonies measure Even'tide comes with its hairbrush and braids Plaited...

"City of Peace" (Raanana, January 12, 2018) On days like these with a high-noon sun Shining on a little courtyard, The bougainvillea silent for lack of breeze, I wonder whether David, the shepherd king, Considered the possibility I'd be sitting here Sipping from a cup of coffee, daydreaming Of his pasture not so far from me And lambs long gone, their progeny roaming The barren hills of Ein Gedi And his dreams of a city of...

How desperately he wished he understood her,The elusive lady who had stolen his heart,But every time he thought she was within his graspOnce more she seemed to vanish into the shadows,Leaving him to flounder in the darkness of doubt.There were many times when the flame of her presenceBurned so intensely it threatened to consume him;Days and nights when they rode on a wave of passion,Carrying him aloft on a tide of rapture...

  I sit on the beach, absently raking fingertips through the warm sand while listening to the cheerful clamour all around. My fellow holidaymakers laugh, squeal, shout to one another, their shrill cries mingling with the raucous shrieks of the gulls wheeling and swooping overhead. My gaze fixes on the waves lapping the shoreline. Each gentle splash and foaming spray is followed by the lulling jingle of shells and stones r...

Leaning as far over as she dared, she peered under the lake’s gently rippling surface. She could see all the way to the silt and rock bottom but couldn’t discern a black rectangle protruding from it. The phone was gone. “Stupid, stupid,” she muttered. “Where is it?” She risked leaning even farther, searching beneath the canoe but the old wooden vessel creaked in protest and tilted perilously, threatening to capsize. She s...