Sunday, February 28, 2010

HERON IN WINTER

Photo by S. Auberle
I saw her today,
blue on blue on blue--
ice, sky, bird.
She was stepping slowly
onto the frozen pond
and how, you may ask,
do I know the bird was female?
It was just a look,
a topknot of feathers
ruffled in the cold,
the way she stood so still
as I passed near.
There seemed to be a connection,
(a poet's fancy, no doubt)
of eggs and nests and nurture,
a connection in the season
when bird and woman
must leave safe ground,
step out onto that place
where our old faces
shine back at us,
new and full of light,
though we feel unsure,
but strong, because
it's what we have to do
sometimes, to survive.
The sky is a mirror
beneath our long legs
but oh, beautiful sister,
where will you sleep tonight?
~ Sharon Auberle
(An old poem, revisited, from my book Crow Ink, Little Eagle Press, 2009)
Also, very pleased to announce a poem of mine over at http://www.yourdailypoem.com/
check it out, if you have a chance.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

MISSING THE MOMENT

Photo by S. Auberle
"The sin of inadvertence, not being alert,
not quite awake, is the sin
of missing the moment of life.
Live with unremitting awareness."
~ Joseph Campbell

Sunday, February 21, 2010

MAYBE A POEM WILL COME

~ Photo by R. Murre
Maybe a poem will come
to me today
and I'll paint the words,
shape the page into a boat
like those old Chinese poets did,
launch it
on a floe of blue ice.
Or I could fold it
into a red-crowned crane,
whirl it up into
fading winter winds,
my bright dream of spring...
~ mimi

Saturday, February 20, 2010

TIME FOR BUTTERFLIES

Photo by S. Auberle
"There is nothing in a caterpillar
that tells you it's going to be
a butterfly."
~ Buckminster Fuller

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

TWO PORTRAITS

Self-Portrait by S. Auberle

The poem hasn't yet arrived to accompany this eerie self-portrait with one of my heroines, Georgia O'Keeffe. I'm hoping it will soon. It was sunset and there was this wonderful red light...

Monday, February 15, 2010

FORTUNE COOKIE

Photo by S. Auberle
Okay, so this morning, lying in bed, these words pop into my head, seemingly from nowhere, but now I wonder if there isn't some wise old Oriental sage running around in there, who knew that this morning I was going to find out that yet again, I didn't win the $2,000 prize for a poem that I was hoping for, and yet again, I was going to get disgusted, which is, of course, ridiculous, especially when it comes to poetry contests, but nevertheless, I keep on, and so one more time I didn't win, but here's the kicker...out of all the prizes--$2,000; bunches of $200 and $100 dollar categories, I was included in the very next category DOWN, some "Very Highly Commended" or some such thing, which includes not a penny of cash...so here's the words that just preceded this rather annoying start to my day:
any path
wisely trusted
will succeed
(sounds like a fortune cookie and I didn't even get to eat one...)

Thursday, February 11, 2010

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

"The Kiss" - Photo collage by S. Auberle

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

BECOMING

"It takes a long time
to become young."
~ Picasso

Saturday, February 06, 2010

KOAN

Encaustic Wax Monotype - S. Auberle
Snow on the south side
is melting tonight
in brown patches
scattered among the white.
Smoke rises
from the neighbor's house
joining a cloud
drifting over the mountain
where snow still lies deep.
I imagine Ryokan,
the Zen monk,
two hundred years ago
in his solitary hut,
a fire made only of leaves
that blew to his door.
His brush shivers
across the precious paper:
Evening in the deep mountains
all covered in white snow;
I feel everything vanish,
yes, my soul and body too...
The snow is melting tonight
in brown patches
scattered among the white.
Smoke vanishes into a cloud.
Why should we lament our passing?
~mimi

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

ALMOST ALWAYS

Photo by S. Auberle
almost
always
the
kindest
thing
is
to
let
go
~ mimi