The stove is off,
you can let go
your constricting grip on safety.
I forgive you
for continuing to carry the habit.
I forgive you
for holding a grudge grounded in hurt.
I forgive you
for hours spent worrying,
with no real power to change.
I forgive you
for wanting —
trying to fill a hole of murky origins.
I forgive you
for the hovering
masked as parental care.
I forgive you
for wondering if you are enough.
I forgive you,
I forgive you,
I forgive you.

*inspired by Dilruba Ahmed’s poem “Phase One”. In the poem, Ahmed repeats, in a flood, I forgive you — making a safe space for the acknowledgement of things that hide in the shadows for each of us.

Over winter break, my family was in New York City. Crowded with holiday revelers, New York is a wonder. On this trip, the universe threw me a moment, a connection.


Through the glowing windows,
The Strand bookstore looked packed.
Shoppers searching for gifts
to bestow on loved ones,
wrapped in tinsel and crinkly paper.

Biting cold
on a late December eve,
made the claustrophobic scene
almost inviting.

Skirting around strangers,
I settled at the staff favorites table –
books in a kaleidoscope of colors
stacked high in piles,
allowing shoppers to grab several titles
at once.

In my hand,
a hefty paperback offering tales from India.
“Remarkable!”
came a bubbly voice to my left.
Startled, I mumbled I heard great things.
“Have you tried this one?”
She held up a fast-paced thriller
I too had loved.
“Yes!” I exulted.
Reaching in front of her,
I scooped up another title
from the beach of books.
“Well, you must try this one.
History, family intrigue,
I know you will love it!”

We paused —
complete strangers,
now sharing treasures
with assured confidence,
we knew each other.

In the pause,
I could imagine the recipes we traded,
the afternoons spent watching our children play ball,
chatting in book club
or crying over a lost loved one.

We both grinned,
“Happy holidays”
as the universe tugged up back
into our own orbits,
each quietly contemplating
the possibilities.

For the past year or more, I have headed out in heat, rain, and freezing temperatures to spend time with birds. I am learning much about life, survival, beauty. Thus, I find myself writing more nature poems these days. Nature poems are often idyllic — lofty language offering peace, escape, a calm refuge. But some poems are frank, not shying from the natural order. In January, I saw two geese on a frozen pond I frequent — here is the encounter.

On a frigid January morning,
a flock of Canadian Geese
huddle on the icy marsh,
heads tucked in against the cold.

As the sun rises,
light settles on a goose
several yards away.

It is clear the goose
perished in the night.
Ebony head melding into the ice,
wings loose and low,
no life blood holding
the bird in check.
A gentle neck
bends with grace
across the frozen field.

Nature takes its course.
Geese are not promised eternity.
Perhaps a fox, coyote or eagle
will find a meal
and fortitude.

But
not yet,
for standing guard
by the fallen fowl
is love personfied.

Geese mate for life.
The ice-bound goose
did not die alone.
Instead nature reminds everyone within sight
we are cherished —
from the tiniest warbler
to the majestic goose
to the infinitely fallable human.

Yet,
a prayer should be offered
for the sentinel left behind —
loved
paired
lonely
carrying on mightily.

Note: if you love birds, here are a few great books to read:
Bird School by Adam Nicolson
What an Owl Knows and The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman
The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan
H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald

Since my son was small
we have reveled in taking walks.
A flâneur by nature,
Nash has wandered the streets
of London, Chicago, Porto
New York, Montreal, Alexandria
and more.

Together
we have journeyed through
wood and bog,
city and country,
canal path and mountain trail.

He is my favorite walking companion,
always ready with a funny story,
intriguing fact or
simply quiet company.

Yesterday
we met to walk our three dogs.
His Cooper elated
to see half siblings,
Max and Georgia.

We walked along a nature trail
watching ospreys dip,
carrying off fish in tight talons.
Spring air
added a note of hopefulness
on a Sunday afternoon.

As March draws to a close,
I brim with thankfulness —
for Nash, his wife Claire, the pups,
health enough to walk,
a happy marriage,
a new home,
and…
the company of slice of life writers
who make March a stellar month.

I sent a dispatch,
a quiet missive.
The epistle
contained every letter
needed for communication.
I must report
it was difficult to give the lowdown
without sharing the good tidings.

*The last word of every line is a synonym for dispatch.

My grandfather died
when my father was seventeen.
Though I never knew Alfred,
I can imagine our conversation:

“Was it hard coming to America?”
I ask.

“I had no choice.
If I wanted a better life,
I needed to board a ship.”

“Were you alone?”
I inquire.

“On the ship, yes.
but I was lucky,
my older brother and a cousin
were already in America.
I had people to help me.”

“Why did you travel to Denver,
where my father was born?”
I posit, wondering if the conversation is tiring.

“Ah, you see my brother
was sick with tuberculosis.
He needed the hospital there.
I didn’t know it then,
but the disease would take me as well,
far too early.”

“I see.
I am sorry
the path was so arduous.
You should know, grandfather,
you paved a road
for joy, prosperity.”

“Good. Good.
Sometimes
we do not get to see
the fruits of our labor.
Immigrating was difficult, daunting.
I hope you always honor those
who make the crossing
from whatever home base.
Your roots are only as deep
as your spirit of generosity.
Don’t forget.”

I know my grandfather would be horrified
by America’s current lack of welcome.
Such short memories,
such cold hearts.

**The ship pictured above is the ship that brought my grandfather to America through Ellis Island.

It is my mother’s birthday.

She and her twin sister Barbara
would have been eighty-eight today.
Barbara went first in 2011,
taken by a cancer her nursing skills
could not solve.
My mother followed in 2020
a longer illness we were so thankful
finally released her.

Mom,
I hope the flowers
are perpetually blooming for you —
lilies, orchids, tulips, sunflowers.
I hope your room
is adorned with small treasures
from walks through the woods —
pine cones, moss, driftwood, ferns.

I hope you and Barbara
are sharing a hearty laugh
about the time you tried
to help each other
brave the strong ocean surf
and tumbled together onto the sand,
laughing so hard
you couldn’t breathe.

I hope you know
Peter, Katie and I
texted today,
missing you,
thankful
for the siblings you gave us.

Today is my mother’s birthday.
She is dearly missed.

**Written on March 26, 2025

Abuzz with chatter
the holly tree vibrates with
a host of sparrows

This morning as I walked into school, a nearby holly tree hummed with conversation. A haiku (three lines of 5-7-5) is perfect to capture this moment in nature.