A poem — Sunshine and rain; a tree dressed in diamonds it didn’t buy nor ask for — if trees were people they’d be the most gentle and humble of us; unperturbed and unassuming they take what’s handed, the wind, the rain, the pruning, and still rise up, crowns high and feet firmly planted…

I laid down on the sand and looked up at the sky. when was the last time I watched the clouds go by? I shielded my eyes from the setting but still bright summer sun with a book by Alain de Botton. the clouds were moving, but seemed so still. …

I made old clothes for dinner tonight. The kids loved it. Ropa Vieja, in Spanish, which I don’t speak. In Cuba, where I’ve never been. That got me thinking. Tuesday’s meal came to us Twice colonized. Beef and olives arrived From Andalusia, not far Behind the slave ships. American novelists…

Seeing is not believing — Answers are not the same as knowing Just as seeing is not the same as vision: Eyes may perceive, but the brain Filters what arrives through sieves: Expectation, experience, and desire. Stars are always shining, indifferent To upturned faces seeking answers In darkest nights when questions Lurch from day’s bright sunshine To quieted…