Poetry

Toward the Wild

Shadows lake across the night,paws roaming, weaving adventure in new-found freedom. Coyotes howl, possums hidebehind the darkness.Spiders web the porch lights,spinning laid eggs for incubation. Corncrakes sing while stars pillow my dreams. False summer warmsa trail worn by fawnsand neighborhood children,both growing, seeking independence. Lost in a labyrinth of suburban landscape,moonlight pools between pine and cedar fences. Scents guide, enthrall,draw him closer to nature,leading him to a pathwayconnecting to his roots. This poem is published…

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Poetry

Dad’s Pipe

The chipped mouthpiece sits between his teeth as he strikes the flint, eyes focused on the flame from the Zippo. With each draw in, the fire disappears into the chamber, charring the top layer of cherry tobacco. Smoke shadowshis tanned face with each puff. I watch the ritual every night after supper, hands elbow deep in suds. The kettle whistles, Mom pours him a cup of tea, sweetens it with honey from our hives, three,…

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On this day... Thoughts & Things

Leisure Reading

I love to read, so I try to make time daily for reading. I have a wide range of interests, such as what I call mindless entertainment. You know the kind that helps you relax and get your mind off things. It just entertains, makes me feel good, and I don’t have to try to figure it out. I like to read those books in the evening before I go to sleep because it clears…

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On this day...

September 27th

On this day in 1940, Stella Baxter married John Connley in the parlor of the local preacher’s home with the preacher’s wife as the witness. A year later, the nation was embroiled in a World War, later to be popularly known as WWII, and in January 1942, they welcomed their first son, Ron, my dad. John, my grandpa, was drafted into the Army in 1943 and my grandmother, Stella, and their two sons, went to…

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