Chasing Sunsets

A dwindling summer lingers on
as zinnias hold out stubbornly.
The buds set on chrysanthemums -
by mid-October they shall bring
us autumn sunbursts. Drink with me
a toast to Browning and to Frost,
and one for dear Ms. Emily,
for summer's green must soon be lost
to ghostly winds and leafy streams
and graves that were not tilled in spring.

A I R <---> M A I L

For my mother (Oct 17,1932 - Feb 28, 2009)

The stamps you left inside your roll-top desk
are lady liberties worth thirty-nine
cents each. And in this chair I'm like a guest
in a closed Bed and Breakfast as I sign
this poem/letter that I'll never send
to you because the place is much too far
where you have flown. I cannot cause the wind
to carry my fond wishes to your star.

We last spoke on a Saturday by phone;
the final time was February-gray.
I told you I would call you back at home
that afternoon. I never got to say
the words I would have said if I had known
how quickly death would swallow flesh and bone.

Anne Bryant-Hamon (c) Oct. 1, 2009

Drift Wood Summer

We're on a sand dune sloping toward the ocean,
our eyes reclining with the setting sun.
Gray silhouettes form shadows from the motion,
of palm trees, though the painting's not yet done.

The artist may yet choose to add some trouble,
a salty water-spray caused by a gale,
or driftwood pieces spread among the rubble,
with sea gulls huddled on a split-wood rail.

Perhaps he'll place a storm cloud in the distance
for contrast, (purple doused with midnight blue).
and make the faces of the couple listless
to hint of sadness that the summer's through.

Regardless of the painting or its weather,
their bare feet trace the drifting sand together.

Flu Away! Fresh Vegetable Juice

It's meatless Monday and I just finished a delicious healthy glass of what I call 'Flu-Away' fresh vegetable juice.
This is truly making a difference in my life. Nothing energizes me quite like fresh vegetable juice with a dash of Celtic Sea Salt.
When I drink this, I imagine sunlight coursing through my veins. The glory that radiates from our faces comes from the sun we drink!
I always start with a base of 4-5 medium tomatoes, then add the freshest ingredients I happen to have on hand, often what has
been picked from our garden that day. And never, never throw away broccoli stems - it's like throwing away gold.
Any combination of veggies will do - just do it! Make sure you have dark greens involved. You need an electric juicer, of course. I use a Juiceman brand.

Today I had freshly juiced:
5 Tomatoes
Large Bunch of Kale
1 Whole Carrot
2 Stalks Celery
1 large Green Pepper
2 Large Broccoli Stems
Fist full of fresh picked Green Beans
1/2 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

***I prefer this drink with one hot banana pepper, which we sometimes have handy in our garden.

BEAUTIFUL ONE

Independence Day Relief!

SENSUAL MUSIC

Dedicated to Margaret Menamin who passed away June 3, 2009

Where touch ends, its music plays on
like a light on the surface of water that bends
at first glance, then appears to be gone
where touch ends.

I have friends, though I'm often alone.
They wend in and out like sail boats on soft winds.
Touch bends toward your words whispered into the phone
that my my hands cannot grasp, though this yearning descends.

And loneliness – sometimes it sends
our needy hearts searching for sun
where touch ends.