The Take 5ive Journal, March 2024

Theme: Inclusivity

wildfires

rage across the tundra . . .

my conscience

chooses to rescue both

predator and prey

three sisters

in hand-me-downs

cling together

at their new school . . .

together, yet apart

we adopt

the deaf Dalmatian pup

no one wanted,

so perfectly imperfect

and worthy of love

The Take 5ive Journal, October 2023

Theme: Childhood

with one chiff

of the church organ

this sudden

girlhood fear of fire

and brimstone

my first kiss

beneath a bower

of honeysuckle,

steeped in the folklore

of everlasting love

screeching siblings

with their arms akimbo

defending

bunkbed territory

like sandhill cranes

unseaworthy,

the ship that carries

our memories . . .

I prefer your version

of childhood to mine

The Take 5ive Journal, August, 2023

Theme: Neurodiversity

there will be

no carnival with noise

and neon lights . . .

a hypersensitive boy

riding life's roller coaster

wave after wave

of heat and humidity . . .

the child

who can't bring herself

to taste ice cream

the weather

in this mountain valley

so unpredictable

your moods shape-shifting

into light and shadow

The Take 5ive Journal, July 2023

Theme: The Plight of Refugees

refugees

try to cross the border . . .

this tree well

lined with frozen bits

of moss and rabbit fur

 

The Take 5ive Journal, June 2023

Theme: Music that Heals

fitful winds

pluck the harp strings

of dead vines . . .

you would have been

soothed by such music

my singing bowl

half-filled with water . . .

I strike its rim

until ocean waves

manifest inside me

The Take 5ive Journal, May 2023

Theme: Family

sisters

by blood or by choice . . .

these bonds

that hold us together,

even when we are apart

childless . . .

this love bestowed

upon strays

whether human,

or otherwise

they say

I look like my father . . .

the aspen

that has cloned itself

for thousands of years

 

The Take 5ive Journal, April 2023

Theme: Earth Day

earth's forests,

the guardians of breath . . .

we hold

them hostage against

our better nature

 

The Take 5ive Journal, March 2023

Theme: Love & Loss

kinkeepers . . .

the invisible women

loving

behind the scenes

of our everyday lives

the linden tree

outside our window

cradling snow . . .

we open ourselves

to one another

the dam

has been breached

once more

we are swept along

in surges of sorrow

 

The Take 5ive Journal, Issue 5, December 2022

Yuletide Special

strangers

dressed in red, singing

in our yard

a flock of cardinals

decorates the thicket

heirloom glasses

of mulled wine hold

the firelight . . .

wrinkled hands warmed

by memories of wonder

this festive table

glowing with candlelight

and smiles . . .

how fortunate we are

to be touched by grace