I. News

dropped
into a world
to which I did not know
I was agreeing
to navigate,

where bearings are few
and far between,

where everything
changes daily,
an unstoppable flow
of information and rhetoric,

a chaotic churn,
that determines lives
and which of them matter,

with a vastness and immediacy
that pulls us on and on,
unable to rest.

what is this thing
we humans have made?

II. North

these days I count my blessings
for the simple orientation
of dependable things.

my hands come to rest
on soaked wood,
softened by
yesterday’s rains,
and rough with
the life it supports.

I give thanks
for the cool shadow of the north,
preserving the moisture
that sustains this
papery veil.

I give thanks
for knowing
that this life,
like my own,
depends

on light, quiet,
and plenty
of fresh
air.

St. Mary’s County, MD
November 2018