Carolyn Chilton Casas, The Beating of Drums

The Beating of Drums by Carolyn Chilton Casas At the pousada pequena in a tropic beach town, fatigued from too many hours of travel, we were concerned when asked to leave our key hanging on the reception wall. We had read State Department warnings for tourists traveling to this area, heard rumors to be careful,Continue reading “Carolyn Chilton Casas, The Beating of Drums”

Callanish Stone Circle, Isle of Lewis by William Doreski

Callanish Stone Circle, Isle of Lewis by William Doreski The avenues and circle form a rough Celtic cross about four hundred by a hundred and forty feet. Standing centered in the central circle of thirteen standing stones bathed in sea breeze I feel the sky pour over me in marbled gray sympathies as if I’veContinue reading “Callanish Stone Circle, Isle of Lewis by William Doreski”

Volcano Park by Ed Meek

Volcano Park by Ed Meek In case you forgot what burns beneath the surface of the earth, pay a visit to Pele, goddess of the volcano, on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi where a fire river of lava tunnels through molten rock. You can catch Kīlauea flow— luminous at night— from black pahoehoe cliffs thatContinue reading “Volcano Park by Ed Meek”

February Snow by Francisco Aragón

February Snow by Francisco Aragón The tint of the sky between sunset and night. And wandering with you and your nephew in that maze, half-lost—Madrid of the Austrias—looking for Plaza of the Green Cross where, days before you arrived, an Opel with false plates was parked, its wheels straddling the curb, and so the vanContinue reading “February Snow by Francisco Aragón”

Threshing by Ed Ruzicka

Threshingby Ed Ruzicka Leoncio wakes me before sixso we can march down to the next town.I am to drive the Datsun that is kept there in a cousin’s garage.I have been trying to teach Leonciohow to drive but it is terrifying. So many pile onto, lean off, the pickup’s bedthat I can hardly see outContinue reading “Threshing by Ed Ruzicka”

Golden Eagles over Franklin Mountain by Robert Bensen

Golden Eagles over Franklin Mountainby Robert Bensen On Oct. 25, 2018, we counted 128 Golden Eagles, a single-day record for eastern North America. The previous single-day high was 71 (Nov. 11, 2015) so the magnitude of this big day cannot be overstated. The reason for this Golden Eagle push two weeks before the traditional migrationContinue reading “Golden Eagles over Franklin Mountain by Robert Bensen”

Going Home: New Orleans by Sheryl St. Germain

Going Home: New Orleans by Sheryl St. Germain for my grandmother, Theresa Frank Some slow evenings when the light hangs late and stubborn in the sky, gives itself up to darkness slowly and deliberately, slow cloud after slow cloud, slowness enters me like something familiar, and it feels like going home. It’s all there inContinue reading “Going Home: New Orleans by Sheryl St. Germain”

Giardini di Villa Melzi by David Del Bourgo

Giardini di Villa Melzi by David Del Bourgo                                Bellagio, Italy His white marble eyes seem more curious than ours, overlooking the intrusion of two hundred years. A fantastic arrogance survives casual indignities: rain-cragged shoulders, a mustache chipped by a childish hand. His wife sits opposite in the gazebo, admired by everyday men like myself brushingContinue reading “Giardini di Villa Melzi by David Del Bourgo”

The Ghost of Mazama by Marianne Brems

The Ghost of Mazama xxxxxxxxxxxCrater Lake, Crater Lake, Oregon by Marianne Brems The Rim Road around Crater Lake with a dusting of snow beside it is nearly all mine. In temporal sunlight I ride on two slim tires around a lake without tributaries, deeper than a skyscraper. My core swells in warmth pushing heat outContinue reading “The Ghost of Mazama by Marianne Brems”

Meditation: Galápagos Seas by Lorraine Caputo

Meditation: Galápagos Seas by Lorraine Caputo Surrounded by xxxxxxxshattered coral xxxxxxx& sea-burnished lava I sit in the warm xxxxxxxlate-afternoon sun xxxxxxxlistening to the tide rising, waves xxxxxxxleaping over fractured xxxxxxxboulders, waves rising translucent green-blue xxxxxxxto break, frothing, arriving xxxxxxxto shore, before relaxing Red crabs cling xxxxxxxto those black crags, xxxxxxxthe surge breaking & xxxxxxxfoaming overContinue reading “Meditation: Galápagos Seas by Lorraine Caputo”