december

1.
humanity’s trees
will see what happens
in the middle of nowhere

thanks for the update and for
the only thing that
the only thing is

[all but the first line written with keyboard suggestions]

2.
southeastward yellow
sunrise unfurls its
brief banner of buoyant blue

sky a longing lavender
ladder to climb out
of darkening thoughts

3.
clouds above below
the morning fog that
rubs its back along the hills

sunrise a momentary
dream field of faintly
glowing marigolds

4.
again great river
bring down new colors
ravaged tinged periwinkle

blanched silverfringed brakelight orange
long-distance lovelight
mirrored memories

5.
morning’s rhythmic
glacial paradox
speed of light and enormous

infinitesimal near-
ness near pausing
distantly changing

6.
drab slab of monday
sky like a weak nudge
when a hammer’s what’s needed

to crush the brain’s hard dark beans
and steep them in light
to negate the night

7.
the bridge to winter
carries my gray dreams
over the great gray river

reflecting the absence of
the consolation
of sunrise or sleep

8.
immaculate sun
rising in the wind
bursting from under blankets

of clouds a woman waking
on her fortieth
birthday breathing light

9.
the disappointment
of seeking sunrise
in the sadness of a town

a pretty how town but sad
in its brushfire heart
and cloud drift dream light

*
cauldron of morning
burning through bare limbs
over unaware rooftops

distant furnace fire glowing
deep in the heart of
impending winter

10.
the gods’ persimmons
glowing in the east
queen of heaven pray for us

and clouds like fermenting plums
storing drunken sleep
for the winter blues

11.
a river’s disguise
of cloud-cloaked sunrise
at the railroad bridge at dawn

a light afoot that muggles
don’t notice climbs a
dark enormity

12.
humble lovely bridge
unassuming violet
clouds with creamy bright

curlicues of light
dispelling autumnal night
and darkness’s arc

13.
cable bridge sunrise
black dog rabbitbrush
river flowing in the now

carrying gifts to the sun
frankincense skyline
clouds of mystic myrrh

14.
the sun is rising
behind a curtain
of dark and light shades of blue

behind the blue bridge that spans
the big blue river
glistening with birds

15.
beguiled by colour
three time zones away
when i woke far too early

and my co-conspirator
televideoed
what i then screenshot

16.
thin band of faintly
gleaming alice blue
sandwiched by bland grey above

and the numb brown of autumn’s
somber surrender
to winter below

17.
words are too worn out
or not worn enough
insufficient to the task

they can only fall prostrate
to the snowy ground
and stammer eastward

18.
approaching solstice
no sun evident
just snow and fog and the sound

of the day reluctantly
getting underway
and blessëd coffee

19.
this is what passes
for sunrise winter
standing at the door smiling

grimly icy sickle teeth
somber cloudy shrouds
and christmas cookies

20.
flying towards sunrise
breathing burning coals
glowing from last night’s campfire

clouds are smoldering ashes
powdery and dark
the airplane my tent

21.
reconciled to snow
back yard relaxes
into the mind of winter

pandemic blessings
glad isolation
gold nugget sunrise

22.
jesus in the snow
nature’s new year’s day
you want to travel with him

and you want to travel blind
across the water
to that paradise

23.
clouds stained with the night
drift casually
over sweet potato skies

the river used to freezing
this time of year gives
itself to sunrise

24.
tanager-like sun
beginning its slow
migration from solstice day

towards the spring equinox
furtively orange
bringing glad tidings

25.
sun costuming clouds
on christmas morning
out the window all we see

is snow falling on the warm
antiquity of
self and flakes of love

26.
behold the sunrise
masked to protect us
from deadly december rays

the virus of happiness
that would infect us
if we dare let it

27.
no one waiting here
hear the beating heart
now here now nowhere no one

the heart of winter waiting
no one hearing now
here one sunrise pulse

28.
winter means something
snow some nothing thing
hiding something underneath

sunrise hidden like a bulb
a magic nothing
a secret something

29.
there is no sunrise
no rise no risen
sun hidden within itself

keeping its own secret safe
for the hills and trees
frozen in their dreams

30.
the bleak midwinter
the bleak midwinter
the bleak midwinter the bleak

midwinter is in my soul
sunrise on my mind
the bleak midwinter

31.
we wake up and drive
to the horizon
to inspect the frozen fog

concealing the last sunrise
of this year of grace
the day of your birth