June Kaplan

pink blue gray stones tumbled
waterfall fall red rocks jumbled
pass precipice formation
limit pools invite

golden sun silver moon
beckon peace and love
mosaic bisque red clay
array blue pink gray
red roses in sun at noon-cherubs weep sweet showers hourly, crimson hue velvet smooth send scented airs flowery-so winter heave cleave to tree to everything bodily,
the sky white entirely
lone bird fly at night quietly.

in june new bloom strewn
under the sunshine in fertile tundra
blossom in the round
winter fall into the lap of summer
slap by lightning hit the ground
surround sound strike thunder
impose the roses windy blows
rain fall down
out of sort the day
paint sea and sky in gray
an altogether haze
that dim the sight of Gardiner’s Bay
rejoice the woodland creature
warmer wood would soon beseech her
an open field to land
sandy beaches fill with clam
beavers build a dam
birds take flight
day and night
to dance by dawns early light.

shut-ins can’t help themselves
from helping themselves
a storm forewarned
Dave Brubeck on the stereo
furry slippers teri-cloth robe
Bloody Mary tabasco raw egg
chilly in here hot flash
take off the teri-cloth robe
kick off those furry slippers
sinking in sweat in the city yet
there’s a breeze coming in
from a window facing
the Hudson River
hungry what’s this chopped liver?
she sits on an ottoman
looking down at her feet
one of these days I will disappear
vapors fluctuate through hollow air
legato the tempo light as strings might fair
in fluid speech to reach a golden peace
reserve the right to be less guarded please
everything I yearn was learned in stones across the water skipped
Gods speed come back to me
forever here to fashion ships
to know someone well would not be quick
yet in the bloom an autumn cure is pure
you are the perfect woman at my dawn
to take me to a path where I belong
a welcome gate no place is safe as home
I wake as tides cry from my eyes because you ache
and I a lonely soul still moon.

heading east
wavering grasses sweep
hint pastures muddy deep
camera capture scenic path
ocean view we take a bath
far as an eye a seagull fly
fish for bass and black
torrid hurried catch
back road short cut
pass lush brush
old gray barns flank greenery
past little towns find scenery
adjacent to the Sound
sun appear cloud clear
wave flow in and out
bud green stem
seen on the scenic route
fluke cooked
stopping back at the overlook
walk a quiet wend
sunset
on the east end.