August

the sultry air
refreshing pool
fear expressed
a promise made

so little known
so much ahead
that august heat
will never fade

White Stones

they catch our eye in every town
on country roads and city lanes
most adorn a stately lawn
others grace a peaceful shade

metal gates protect these stones
each of measured size and shape
some reflect the glow of dusk
and some the rosy light of dawn

in silent waves they stand erect
symbols of the young and brave
inscribed with names and vital dates
that fade as endless seasons pass

a pleasant scene in blocks of white
those even lines above the graves
but will the quarries yield enough
for all the youth we send to die

The Lamp

I see it still
as if today
the turning shade
the rising flames

the running deer
and colors bright
a scene of fear
that held my gaze

a gentle buzz
arose within
as fire danced
before my eyes

English Leather

its heavy bottle
clear and square
its amber tonic
blocked despair

unable to drive
too young for beer
a fragrant splash
to douse our fear

Rio Grande

it trickles from the lofty crest
to tundra pools in grass and rock
from there it flows in icy streams
that merge atop this massive block

and down it snakes beneath the spruce
through aspen groves and hills of pine
through fragrant woods and meadows gold
through swirling pools and falls divine

this eastward run to san luis
though rather short is very steep
and thence it rumbles o'er the plain
beneath the ramparts broad and deep

and soon it curves to face the sun
and weaves a path across the floor
to bypass domes of molten rock
and cut its way through lava core

for now it lies within the rift
where thinning crust is pulled apart
and on it flows to drier lands
where painted skies are nature's art

past faulted blocks and barren domes
past desert scrub and watered land
it leaves a swath of marsh and wood
before its flow by humans dammed

from here below it angles east
and forms a rift of man's decree
through walls of rock and lush preserve
a final run to meet the sea