Island Photo

I can scarcely wait till tomorrow

when a new life begins for me,

as it does each day,

as it does each day.

From The Round by Stanley Kunitz

PoetryThe Bells of SummerCookie BakersTamarackThe Theory of Everything
When a Miracle SpeaksWhen Asked Why I Write Poetry

WHEN ASKED WHY I WRITE POETRY

After Lisel Mueller

I say: because the sea urchin, cracked
and forgotten, reveals glistening
cathedral arches

because crows sorrowing
on the fence for a brother
felled by a farmer's shot
teach the meaning of black

and from waves I learn
of rattle and release

because the dragonfly that rests
with its wings open compels me
to speak of vulnerability

and the marjoram in my garden
beads itself into spicy splendor 

because my hands
take on utilitarian beauty
wringing out a wash cloth

because each step is praise
to movement

because the one-pound fawn
cut from its dead mother's stomach
breathes

and the scent of a single violet
crushed underfoot is drenched
salvation

Appears in chapbook, What Brings Us to Water.