When we were small,
my grandfather
would occasionally announce
“today seems like a good day
for a mystery trip!”

The breakfast table erupted,
a chaos of conversation as
questions flew like darts —
Will we drive?
Is it far?
Are animals involved?
What gear might we need?
Will we be back before
lunch?
dusk?
dinner?

My grandfather beamed,
exactly the reaction he relished.

Sometimes
we waded into a brackish cranberry bog,
or dug our toes in sand
searching for clams.
We might visit a pale barn owl
at a rescue center
or explore an old iron forge.

My grandparents believed
extraordinary
was all around,
if only we adjusted
our perspective.

** The framed poster accompanying this post includes a photograph my grandfather took in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. He and my grandmother were founding members of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. They dedicated their time and energy to the preservation of the Pine Barrens — the largest pine preserve on the Atlantic coast encompassing more than 1.1 million acres.

Under downy snow
rest the gentle tendrils
of spring unfurling.
Promises etched on fresh petals,
Nature’s true benevolence.

*This poem is a tanka. The form consists of five lines (5, 7, 5, 7, 7 syllables). According to Poets.org:
One of the oldest Japanese forms, tanka originated in the seventh century, and quickly became the preferred verse form not only in the Japanese Imperial Court, where nobles competed in tanka contests, but for women and men engaged in courtship. The tanka’s economy and suitability for emotional expression made it ideal for intimate communication; lovers would often, after an evening spent together (often clandestinely), dash off a tanka to give to the other the next morning as a gift of gratitude.

In elementary school
we were marched
in orderly lines
to the cafeteria.

Waiting patiently,
we eyed the school nurse
who bore a tray of
pristine white sugar cubes,
neatly arranged in rows.

Each perfectly formed square
held at its center
three drops
of a medical miracle.

To us children,
the sugar cubes
were a sweet treat,
a distraction from
everyday lessons.

To the adults,
the grainy, porous squares
promised hope.

Hope to avoid
the crippling effects
of polio,
a disease that left
my grandfather with
weakened legs, cramped fingers.

Hope that each tiny cube
brought steady, easy breathing
outside the grasp
of an iron lung.

I will always remember fondly
the distraction,
the communal gathering
of children sucking happily
on the sweetness
that masked progress
in a cube.

When my brother was twenty-one
he headed west
to count birds.

Fresh out of college,
his personal map
had no next destination.
Spotted owls seemed
a novel waypoint.

In 1990,
northern spotted owls joined
the Endangered Species Act
list of vulnerable species.

For decades,
logging,
human encroachment,
and other owl species
worked to diminish the
spotted owl population of Oregon.

Day after day,
my brother headed out
no matter the weather
to count,
catalogue,
watch.

Spending time
in the company of owls
changed my brother.

Today,
my brother
navigates the rivers
of Montana,
a fly fishing guide.

Elk, wolves,
bear, and yes,
owls share the landscape
with my brother.

Thirty years ago
in my corporate suit,
I questioned my brother’s
choices.

Now,
I marvel at his wisdom
so young —
to stake a life outdoors
after walking
amid the majesty of owls.

In spring
there is a quality to the light
beckoning us outdoors —
just to be in its presence.

White blossoms
on cherry trees,
dogwoods, crab apples
glow in the early morning.

Unlike summer light,
which shimmers in waves
on the horizon,
objects melting before our eyes.
Spring light
is crisp and tart
like a freshly picked apple.

Walking in spring light,
anything is possible.

Like birds,
humans gather
objects to feather the nest.

First,
needs —
clothing, bedding, dishes.

Next,
mementos —
pottery, snow globes, tee shirts.

When children arrive,
boxes of baby clothes,
photographs, wooden toys
line the storage room shelves.

Weekends spent reading
mean shelves crammed
with books,
jazz albums
for the turntable.

Family heirlooms
passed down
through generations
fill sideboards and cupboards.

Before you know it,
you are carrying
the heavy weight
of shared experience.

This week,
I am unburdening.

No need to wait for
children to sort through
the detritus of my past.

A few items will remain,
but I do not need objects
to revisit a lifetime of memories.

Down a country lane
past open fields,
and over a one-lane bridge,
we arrive at the Northampton
dog park.

Unlike its urban counterparts,
the space is open, vast —
a cartography of dirt-packed paths,
rocky outcroppings,
a gently flowing river.

Louie is first out of the car,
bounding toward the grass,
leash-less and free.

Ahead
three dogs play tag
weaving in and out
of newly leafed trees.

We humans
chat while ambling
the two mile trail.
Louie darts back,
checking on our progress.

Cresting a hill,
we spy him wading
into the frosty current,
intermittently swimming,
searching the clear cold stream
for darting fish.

Louie’s abandon,
his open welcome
is a model for the way
we should be
in the world.

“I just want her to be
happy.”

My sister and I spent
a glorious weekend
with my niece.

“I like him. But,
will it last?”

Over coffee and biscuits,
we reflected
on long walks, good meals,
deep conversation.

“Love is a funny thing,”
I responded
through sips of coffee.

“It’s just
she has had two
big heartbreaks…”
my sister fretted.

“If we enter
every relationship
holding back,
where is the joy?”

Just then,
my niece and her
lanky, smiling boyfriend
entered.

Ahh, there is the joy.

Enter —
warmth welcomes you.
Happy chatter spills out
like marbles on the quiet street,
bouncing.

*This cinquain (syllables 2-4-6-8-2) is a toast to cozy spots in chilly towns. Joe’s serves yummy pasta in Northampton, Massachusetts.