Sunday, July 21, 2013

PORTLAND VIGNETTE


That night she watched as snow fell against the branches of the evergreen -- large, silent drops, cool and white drifting at its base. And the bamboo, soft and gentle dancing in the wind.
It was so beautiful, the way its shadows lay against the snow.
Sighing, she let the curtain drop as she drew her comforter from the chair.
Come July, she thought, the sun will warm me by the water and perhaps someone with a dog will be by my side to laugh and rest and dream with me.

Pushing the cap back from his face, he leaned forward and stoked the fire. 
For an instant he thought he caught the image of a woman flickering like sunlight on a mountain stream.
Come July, he thought, I’ll laugh with that woman by my side.

When they met each other at the new restaurant on The Willamette that Friday afternoon, they smiled and wondered if this could be the July they’d dreamt about that winter.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

A DAY AT THE BEACH


Seagrass wound,
entwined with strands of hair,
a mixture of grays and auburns.

She rose like Venus,
from the waves.
But the half-shell was gone,
nowhere to be seen.

Inside, she briefly felt
that lass of 20.

Outside, her frame and demeanor
reflected the years of life
she had enjoyed,
And sometimes endured.

He laid his hand upon her thigh.
She rejected the touch.
Too many memories borne heavily
in its weight.