There was an accident today
on the road to Poetica.
A truck tipped over
on the road most taken
spilling thousands of poems.
Some handwritten on loose leaf.
Some neatly typed.
Traffic was tied up for hours
as people stood in the road reading
laughing and crying
and sharing their favorites.
O, the humanity. mjh
3-31-2010
Listen to Seek Alternate Route
My Virtual Chapbook (table of contents)
First time in my life. I have a photo, but decided not to post it.
I met a couple
on the breathless trail
to Pueblo Alto.
They were dressed identically
in long-sleeve white shirts
and khaki-colored nylon pants —
oddly well-groomed in a wild place.
They grinned at me
as they approached,
and I thought I heard her say,
"Hello, Mark."
But how? Did I know them?
I asked how they were and she replied,
"Wonderful. How about you?"
She sang her words
like someone unfamiliar
with human speech.
Only then did I recognize them —
coyotes are so clever. mjh
3/31/10
Listen to Songdogs
My Virtual Chapbook (table of contents)
Up in the middle of the night
on my way to the bathroom
I dropped dead.
Lying in the hall
in my final second,
I saw all to come:
the weddings and dances
the funerals
all the wars
a million suns
rising and setting
a small blue and white ball
spinning before me
forever over in an instant. mjh
10/4/2004
Listen to up in the middle of the night
My Virtual Chapbook (table of contents)
This morning Obama said, “I know that there’s going to be a segment of people for which, no matter what we put out, this issue will not be put to rest. But I’m speaking to the vast majority of the American people, as well as to the press. We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We’ve got better stuff to do. I’ve got better stuff to do.”
If you’re a birther at this point, you’re an idiot and, probably, a racist. You’re certainly wasting precious time and brainpower on bullshit.
my old friend
is worried about me
coughing roughly
deep in the night
he stands by the bed
searching my face
for a cue
a clue to my
senseless barking
barking
he paces the floor
for hours
he sniffs my hand
ingesting my malady
to concoct the cure
which he administers
in slow soft licks;
“be well, old friend
the pack is with you.”
and I am well again. mjh
3/17/2005
Listen to the cure
My Virtual Chapbook (table of contents)
A month ago, my friend, Lisa Tannenbaum, commented on Facebook that we were nearing the end of the season for seeing Sandia hairstreaks, New Mexico’s official State Butterfly. Lisa is the state’s unofficial ambassador for the Sandia hairstreak. I decided to seize the opportunity and try my luck. So, one Friday noon in late March, I drove out to the Embudo Canyon trailhead at the end of Indian School Road and started out on one of the many dirt trails there, looking for the beargrass the hairstreak lives on. I hadn’t gone 20 feet before this hairstreak – about the size of a nickel – flew across the trail and kindly alighted on some dry grass, proceeding to turn, pose, pause for a dozen photos. Then, off it went. Thank you, Universe, I love you, too.
Sandia Hairstreak – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Sandia Hairstreak, scientific name Callophrys mcfarlandi (or Sandia mcfarlandi[2]) is a species of butterfly native to North America.[3][4] A relatively rare butterfly with a limited range,[5] it was discovered in La Cueva Canyon, Albuquerque in 1959 by "a 4-H kid"[6] and described the following year.[7][8][9] The Sandia Hairstreak was made one of the state insects of New Mexico in a 2002 bill approved the following year.[5][7][10]
Sandia Hairstreak – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New Mexico State Butterfly: Sandia Hairstreak
Wing span: 1 1/8 – 1 1/4 inches (2.9 – 3.2 cm).
Identification: Tailless. Upperside of male is brown; female is reddish brown with a narrow black border. Underside yellow-green; white postmedian line bordered with black toward the wing base.
Life history: Eggs are laid on flower stalks of the host plant. Caterpillars feed on flowers and fruits.
Flight: Two flights from May-June.