Welcome to Poetry Friday, this week hosted by Molly at her blog: Nix the Comfort Zone.
I have been away from Poetry Friday for a while and found I missed, not surprisingly, this community and its celebration of words, writing, and all things artistic.
I want to thank Tabatha Yeatts for organizing the summer Poetry Swap. Patricia Franzen sent me an amazing poem about a sugar pine tree, which is a beloved Sierra species. The poem came just after I visited California and had seen a Redwood forest that was returning to life after a forest fire. Patricia’s gratitude for her beloved Sugar Pine tree, which she has been observing over time, resonated.
pinus lambertiana
In death as in life
you find your home in a mixed-conifer forest
a fallen sugar pine’s twisted remains
nestled between friends
generous to a fault
you sacrificed cone and seed
to feed the insatiable
pocket mouse or ground squirrel
benevolent ruler of this alpine slope
stripped bare, yet steadfast
cavity nesters find a home
in your heartwood
Patricia Franzen July 15, 2023
She also sent a card with one of her photos of Lake Tahoe and some whimsical stickers. It was wonderful to hear from her!
This week I’m sharing a series of haiku inspired by an August of summer vegetables, brought to me in abundance from a generous neighbor. These, of course, are leeks.
FARM TO TABLE HAIKU 1) Fresh beets in a box wearing thick mud from the field— tender greens wilting. 2) Found meandering among tasteless and tough weeds, sweet carrots and leeks. 3) Not too long or short— Green and yellow beans flourish. Hurry up! Pick them! 4) Bite marks on veggies But corn and okra don’t care if raccoons eat them. 5) By myself cooking, I slide the window open— let in cricket sound. © Janice Scully 2023
What are you celebrating this August? Have a great week! Thank you, Molly, for hosting Poetry Friday.