Rain in Carlmont

Even in the burbs,     where all nature
is trimmed and     suspiciously tidy,
(well, except my yard,     wild and weedy)
even in the     Carlmont strip-mall
parking lot, pavement     and planter boxes,
the smell of a     first rain is sweet.

The Thing

It's cold, if not     Antarctically
on 16th St     this December,
but Roxie popcorn's     a remedy for that,
and a full house     of humans.
                                But Horror!
This is no 5     Nights at Freddy's,
this movie's disturbed     and disturbing--but staring
into the abyss     my kid is bouncing!
Tooth and tentacle     and terribly recycled
doggish design--     and doom from beyond.
Gimme a flamethrower.     Oh ghoulish joy!

Quatrain

A 3DS, a lazy-boy, and you,
my lazy cats, one and two.
A mug of wine'll suit tunes on vinyl...
Paradise? Who knows! But Hyrule will do.

Calling in from CalTrain

Boring-ass boss     --well, boss's boss's--
he does go on,     and that accent. Ugh!
Set on the seat     beside me, my phone's
on speaker but muted.     I'd love to mime
"blah blah blah",     flapping duck-bill fingers
to anyone, but this car's empty--     bad A/C.
It's for the best,     nobody to bug.
I'll sweat--and escape     to the realm of Hyrule.
Nintendo     take me away!

Pedro Point--Pacifica Summer

No Farallons today, in fog
you go up, pine to disappearing pine
(scraggly, and mossy more than needled)
'til at last the trail levels out, and
surely this is it: The End of the World,
a knife-ridge path to a little peak
mist-blown and mystery-beconing;
so try that narrow teetery track--
But it's not the last, there's another and another,
out over the invisible ocean
(just a jade sliver of waves, way way down).

Biking to Cañada

Grim was the grade, but The Grove's up there
with promise of pastry and coffee.
And fool's defiance was fairly repaid--
of inclement sky, no showers but clouds
ridge-creeping from the coastside (a soggy
day no doubt in Pescadero)
heavy-laden and drippy-leaking...
But Iris spread her arc: the full spectrum
of visible light, red to violet,
crowning the hilltop community college.

Perhaps Should have Taken a Local

Baby Bullet, City-bound--
I'm perked up with Peet's. Phone's in my pocket--
I'm deaf to the siren song of social
media, even well-meaning Mastodon--
I've got the kids' discarded 3DS
and three fare-zone's worth of Zelda time!

Dreamlands

Do not dawdle in the     dark lodge, beguiled
by red curtains     and zigzag tiles;
outside is Ulthar:     you must go
and pet all the cats--     calico
tuxedo. tabby,     and monochromatic.
Stay awhile, but     don't become static--
Kadath calls,     and the train untaken.
Go! Go! Before     the Wind Fish awakens!

W@H in Feb

Off deep in our WestUS DC
8 GPU's slave at 61c.
  At home in a sweater--
  that server'ed be better
under my desk by my knee.

Murmurations

Winter sun wrestles     with remnants of rain,
and see, the bay's     surface shimmers;
murmurations     of birds are rolling
like white breakers     at Ocean Beach,
and I'm lucky     to live here, but
I'd still rather     be stuck in some
inland empire     shithole apartment,
no scenery but     a log-in screen,
with you.

Wish i could msg

I'm bored at work     and want to call,
just to say hi     and hear you is all.
Or maybe I'll message;     not much is new,
just something to suffix     less-than-three U.

I Want to Tell You

How our son, as usual skeptical, is loving bike-riding camp;
I saw him gleeful, rumbling over a makeshift wooden ramp!

Blackberry Offering

Blackberries are back     in their brambles along
CalTrain's chain-link     fence by the tracks.
Hardly a handful yet--    the handlebar-basket-
fulls of summer and fall     are still in flower.
We used to always     bring you a sample.
I'll just keep one     plump juicy berry
for the bird-feeder     basket by our house.

Hummingbird

Hon, did you send     that hummingbird?

Zip!

Baby birds     on twigs a-twitter,
bumble-bees     in blossom-cups
gathering honey's     gritty ingredients:
tokens of spring-tide.     And stretched-out cats!
But one that warms     my heart after winter
in particular,     well I'll tell you:
little lizards     lying so still
on sun-warm rocks,     'til they see you--zip!

Fall Leaves Again

Fall leaves lingered     but they let go finally,
drummed away     by raindrops overnight,
and our street's turned     into a tapestry:
green and golden     and glorious.

Summer Evening, Looking for Ilyich

Cool air, blue-black sky;
driveway warm underfoot.
Darn cat won't come in.

Early Plums

Where've you been sulking, wallflower Spring,
jilting us 'til just about June?
(At least--last night I looked on Google--
here in the Bay. In Alberta,
Calgary, I kid you not,
it's a summery 74°!)
But chilly shoulder or not, your charms
are blossoming--blush if you must--
in vain you think them invisible.
Those purple-leaf plum-trees have pluckable fruit;
not purple enough yet, and tasting--tart
'd be a word for it--but we can wait.

Failed Attempt to Write a Poetic Apology for a Church Poetry Group

By our first UU principle we've been taught
that the feelings of others deserve our thought.
    but Trump, you've been dumped,
and I'm sorry that pains you. NOT!!!

An Uncomfortable Lesson in 3-Dimensional Topology

In your morning routine, if you make a slip
binding your belt from hip to hip
  and turn it one twist--
  Any analyst
of mathematics will tell you: You've made a Möbius strip.