Saturday, January 31, 2015

Pacific Northwest

Green winter notes
in January
bleed into February--
scent of pine, lavender,
           honey in my tea.

We slice lemon,
bake salmon, peppery
and warm

           like you,
a wild, wild rose,
no hint of snow--
grow 'round my calves,
up my thighs,
hug my hips
a little tighter,

hold me
to spring.


© 2015 Jennifer Wagner



Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Bumblebee




Yes, it's a real place, and we stayed near it for a night. Well, almost. We stayed until shots rang out way too close and we packed it up, and packed it in the RV, deciding it may be safer to put some miles between us and some teens or good ol' boys shooting at 'coons and beer cans in the near dark. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. This is about hair. “Tommy's mohawk” in a Ziploc bag hung from the ceiling of the cluttered bar/restaurant, which also served as an office in which to reserve your camping space. It hung there with a whole mix of curios we gaped at and yet, were afraid to see. While, I'll call him “McGruff,” due to the gruff manner in which he lent his aid, instructed us on how to locate our spot near the river. And then I saw the sign just above his bald head, which read: “Show off your rod...fish naked!” And I lost it. I got a case of the 8th grade giggles and could not speak intelligibly. So I let my husband do the talking, while the kids kept asking, “What? Mom, what? What's so funny?” Obviously they had not seen it, and I wasn't about to point it out. I think it was the long drive and the sheer absurdity of the place, but let's just say, at this stage of my life it's good I maintained bladder control (hey, I've had four kids, okay? I was impressed it held). So, long story short, we set up camp, went for a dip, had dinner, roasted marshmallows, it began to rain. . . and then, Boom, Bang, Boom, Bang, Boom. And my husband and I looked at each other, and he said, “We're outta here.” So the moral of this story is:

you don't have to
fish naked
to have a hair-raising time


© 2015 Jennifer Wagner

A haibun for Anthony's challenge at dVerse: Excuse, Me, There's a Hair in My Poem!

True story.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Our Birds


Townsend's Warbler,
the Pileated Woodpecker,
Varied Thrush.

Red-breasted Nuthatches,
Black-capped Chickadees,
Chestnut-backed, too.

Pine Siskins,
a Red-winged Blackbird,
the Steller's Jays.

Dark-eyed Juncos,
Broad-tailed Hummingbirds,
Band-tailed Pigeons--yes, it's true!

Northwestern Crows,
crow, crow, crow--
the No-doubt Seahawks
are going to go
go, go!




© 2015 Jennifer Wagner




image © 2015 Jennifer Wagner


"No doubt" Seahawks and the 12's return to the Superbowl as defending champs (and the 12th team to do it).

For my boys. A list poem with all the birds we have identified in our yard.