Remember, remember!
The fifth of November,
The Gunpowder treason and plot;
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!

I forgot (to watch it). 👺

Timekeeper

Words for a mother who has passed.
...

Buoyant ships, steady and slow,
Moments where time seems to suspend,
Yet the journey always continues.

Grandkids, like time itself—
Always enough in the moment,
But never enough to fill a lifetime.

Blue Jays on a summer afternoon,
The crack of a bat echoes,
Always waiting for the season
That might come again.

Mustard, bright and simple,
Her joy in every bite,
A small piece of her passed down.

And the Browns—
Through all the seasons,
Her loyalty never wavered,
Faithful till the end.

For Community

A treatise on communities of identity, faith, and place.
...

For, Family, and Friends:
Who shape our identity,
Individual and collective;

For, Faith and Spirituality:
Both named and un-named,
Whose communal values
Draw us closer together;

And, for Place:
The lands that provide sustenance,
The hands which support,
And, the shared tables
Around which we gather.

Let us be grateful,
For we have community:
Identity,
Faith, and Place;

And be thankful,
We can come together,
To share in community as one.



These words, which articulate the essence of what ties us all together, were recited at my wedding (or some version of them). Without knowing it, I crafted the basis for this poem years before the syllables would be uttered from my mouth during an annual solo trek to Circumnavigate Lake Fanshawe.