“When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.” — John F. Kennedy
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Artwork by Hilary Cole
Boris Schleinkofer, poetrywatch editor
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On My Walk
by Betty Scott
trees stand sentry,
logs lay down their lives
and my mosquito-bitten mind
almost misses this reality
until I trip and face-link
with a gnarled
and twisted branch.
Rough sister of silence and pain,
we may be bitten and trembling now,
but soon enough,
we’ll green into reverence.
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Betty Scott’s poetry is inspired by the dislodged bucks, does and fawns, rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, spiders, moths, bees and moles underground: so many critters released onto the streets by the cutting down of the Pacific Northwest’s majestic trees.
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Dancing in the Dark.
by Jerry Dale McDonnell
When their parents, Daylight and Darkness, danced together, it was no secret they were in love.
Winter appreciates Autumn for the colorful introduction, but when Spring interrupts him he sometimes takes his time before allowing Summer to have her say.
I consoled with Summer. She said her brother has always been like that. He can be hard to get along with. A couple of times Winter came way far south and Spring and Autumn almost died and Summer had a very hard time.
Usually Winter stays far north, but he’s getting old and onery and having trouble breathing the thick air. Summer says she has moved farther north to help him.
Or that’s what she says.
Autumn has sorta forgiven her brother for the times he came so far south, but she does her best to keep his cool.
Spring doesn’t help. He often either stays too long or leaves too early.
He’s never quite grown up.
Their parents, Daylight and Darkness don’t help. They dance north and south, back and forth, pulling light in and out, up and down, like a window shade.
Like all families, they have their problems.
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Jerry Dale McDonnell lives next to a very tall redwood and giant sequia tree near Deming. His published collection of short stories — “Out There in the Out There” — is available fr om Cirque Press or Amazon or from the library. He is, and has been, married to a most wonderful lady for 57 years. Anybody that lucky would go to Reno, if he had any money.
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- Subject matter is unlimited, but poetry featuring or specific to Whatcom County and issues addressed by Whatcom Watch (government, the environment and media) will likely get first preference. Please keep it to around 25 lines; otherwise, we might have to edit your work to fit. Don’t make yourself unprintable. Send poems and your short, two- or three-sentence bios as a Word document attachment to poetry@whatcomwatch.org. The deadline is the first day of the month. Please understand that acceptance and final appearance of pieces are subject to space constraints and editorial requirements. By submitting, authors give Whatcom Watch permission for one-time publication rights in the paper and electronic editions.
