Thirteen Seconds

Thirteen seconds
seems to be
my record
for staying
in the moment.
Thirteen seconds
or less
and I'm scurrying
into the past
or fretting
about tomorrow
or next month.
How hard
can it be
to stay
right here, right now?

A.H.   12-31-13

Fata Morgana

Fata morgana is: (choose one)
a) the stage name of a B movie actress
b) a southern European pasta dish
c) an optical distortion of the horizon due to temperature inversions

Correct answer is c. It's an atmospheric phenomenon. Love it when those happen.

A.H. 12-29-13

Silence of the Snow

The snow
in my neighbors's yard
is a clean sheet
that I want
to write on
but what words
would improve
the silence
of the snow?

A.H. 12-20-13

Almost Solstice

Soon
a splinter of light
will lodge
into the darkness
and begin swelling.
This will happen
without any effort
on my part.

A.H. 12-18-13

Eighth Anniversary

Eight Things I Like About My Husband

1) The cats, especially Baxter, adore him and they are excellent judges of character.
2) He makes great (strong) coffee.
3) He's nice to his mother.
4) He's nice to my mother.
5) He likes to learn.
6) He puts up with me.
7) He's an absent-minded scientist.
8) He's got my back.

Happy anniversary John with love.
A.H.

One More Thing

Know I could
try to cram
one more thing
into this day
but why not
leave room
for the unexpected
and an
opening for grace?

A.H. 12-9-13

For Mary's Son

Hope it was
an awesome waltz
until
the music stopped.

A.H.
Mary's son David died on Dec. 4th from LeioMyoSarcoma.

Another F word

Let us return to anchor ice.
"Anchor ice in rivers tends to be composed of...
small flocculent masses."
Flocculent?
What the f?
Definition: having or resembling tufts of wool.
Work THAT into a sentence.

A.H. 12-7-13

Word Challenge

I can spot
the seldom used words
in my vocabulary closet
by their level of dust.
Frustrated, frequently used,
has no dust
but flounced
and flummoxed
are plenty dusty.

What words
in your closet
need an airing?

Don't fret
about this challenge,
frolic instead!

A.H.    12-6-13
Obviously I was fixated on the F shelf.

Anchor Ice

World Meteorological Organization definition of anchor ice: submerged ice attached or anchored to the bottom, irrespective of the nature of its formation.

Unofficial emotional definition of anchor ice: buried feelings attached or anchored to sunken relationships,  irrespective of the nature of their formation.

A.H. 12-5-13

Frosty Frisbees

This afternoon,
thrown from the sky,
the biggest snowflakes
I've ever seen,
frosty frisbees.

A.H. 12-4-13

Freezing Fog Advisory

After work,
radio warns of
freezing fog.
Oh no,
my brain has
felt like freezing fog
all day
and now
the internal
will manifest
externally.

A.H.

Parhelion*

During this day
of shrunken light
and bitter air,
a shard of color
cut the sky.

*scientific name for sun dog or sundog

A.H.

Seasonal Alaska Diary  12/1/13

Today, in the dark
I thought of the gingko leaves
and my heart brightened.

A.H.