– Photography by Steve Hench

Sunday brunch
marina restaurant
sitting, wishing to
sail southward for winter
gazing past the window
off to the slip moored
offshore
old man
stand-up paddling
his Labrador Retriever
for a morning walk
as often happens
opportunities arise
as in life
unplanned
unprepared
a moment captured
as this, rain or shine when
the dog must
come to shore
and in this way
the Master becomes
the Servant.

– Poem captured from a letter sent by Steve

In the
pink
glow
that hints
of new
day
you were
so soft
asleep
beside me
not even
the dream
of you
could
compare.

So much is lost in the shadows
that crop the view of the forest floor
where the wild ferns sway
just as lovers tangle with desire –
the longing for lush tones,
now dancing in the wind,
the promises kept and broken,
dreams that once were so vibrant
reality’s edge would fade,
and the expectation of your return.
The portrait, like a bottle of wine,
is nothing but an empty vessel
when the last drop is gone –
dimensions too are lost.

– previously published 2004

Expectation clings
like static
forcing the hair
on my arm to rise
the blueness
of this sky,
the warm and cool
of the breeze,
the anticipation of change,
the rise of Scorpio
and a glimpse
of something new –
longs days,
and the music
that reminds me of you
returning home today.