pre-travel grounding

 travelling is almost upon me!

 birdsfoot trefoil and purple vetch

that theme again, 

bloodroot and violet,

goldenrod and aster

those brilliant compliments

are the opposite of winter

and tucking in.

they are about generosity, 

livliness, 

shocking me out of dreariness. 

 sunset sometimes provides an entertainment

 bringing along clouds

dancing at the horizon

 coyotes chatting a little bit later,

 and the clouds are so worried about it all.

but the nutty structure

woodhenge, i absurdly call it

plays pick up sticks

to pass time.

 a few backporch flowers.

the hibiscus will come to school with me in september.

and on the dirt road where the new place lives

where i see a continual, untidy, glorious

parade of wild things

(the mower goes there, too).

swamp milkweed

said to me, "look here, velma,

LOOK i say, we're here, you must 

pay attention."

i know this because i did find sweetgrass this summer

for the first time,

i took one or two threads of growing silver

with the tiny flowering nibs

and then the blasted road crew

mowed them down.

~~~

i leave tomorrow

at the crack of dawn

for women's studio workshop.

this is the closest to 

new york city

i will have been in 50 years.