The ancient eavesdropper

Variegated
leaves pop
their pigments —
veins swirl & mix
a glossy sheen —
chlorophyll-painted
palettes of Spring.

Beads of dew —

orbiting the sun —

celestial lupine. 

Swept across the shore —
countless grains of sand —
rally around the ocean.

Long-lived and pure —

three leaves swaddling —

a bright-eyed baby bloom. 

Note: Trillium ovatum or Pacific Trillium are my favorite native wildflower. The scientific name refers to their three leaves (Trillium) and egg-shaped flower petals (ovatum). Trilliums can live 25 to 50 years and will not flower until years 7 to 10. Ants aid in dispersing their seeds, as do yellow jackets. North American indigenous peoples utilized some trillium species (also known as red trillium or birthroot) for their medicinal properties in childbirth. If you see a trillium in the wild, admire it and take pictures, but please do not touch it. In some states (like Oregon) it is illegal to pick on public land.

Speak 
to me 
in the 
cool tongue
of a clear
mountain 
stream.

Absorbing 
the morning sun 
through every pore —
a solar flare of 
daffodils dances 
in an open field.

Inch by inch 
worms measure
the earth’s waist.

Deep in thought 
uprooting memories 
& transplanting poetrees.

Poultry DJs
mixing up the dirt 
chicken scratch.

Green straws
syphoning 
the morning dew —
photosynthetic 
pipettes plumbing 
the soils’ depths —
grassroots effort.

Down on all fours 
in a field of clover 
luck is beneath me.

Clothing mountains 
in motley garments —
wildflower fashion
statement.

Nested 
in the grass —
upturned 
canary-colored 
petals —
begging 
like newborn 
beaks 
for sunlight.

From the mouth of earth —

I extract weedy teeth —

making room for other roots. 

Note: This is a massive American Pokeweed root, as big as my head! Roots can grow 1 feet deep and 4 inches thick. They are native to the SE part of the US, but here in the Pacific NW, they’re invasive.  Pokeweed grows up to 9 feet tall with red stems and reddish purple berries in the summer. All parts of this plant are toxic, although leaves can be boiled in the early spring and eaten as poke salad.  You can learn more about this pervasive plant by visiting the Tualatin Soil & Water Conservation District’s Weed and Pest Directory (this is where I work 😊): https://tualatinswcd.org/species/pokeweed/ 

Stand next
to this totem pole
and trace its smooth
cedar-inscribed characters
with a steady eye.
Graze your hand over
heartwood —
feel the pulse
of ancient ancestry.
Smell the wafts of
sweet grain
growing
in the light of day.
Its sacred spirits
evoking your soul —
no longer shrouded in
modern society,
for you are part
of the whole.
This diverse
belonging
and
boundless
becoming
of one pathos.

Note: I wanted to revisit this post and give you more information about the artist that skillfully carved the very soul into this 800-year old fallen cedar tree, transformed now into a transcendent totem pole. It stands at the new Oregon State University Longhouse located in Corvallis, Oregon. The artist’s name is Clarence Mills of Vancouver, B.C. You can read more about the artist and totem pole here: https://news.oregonstate.edu/news/new-osu-longhouse-features-gift-native-american-art