Lake Views of Wildlife

 

Observations From a Lake Shore

Trumpeter swan

Storied beauty of the Arctic sky

Migrates on velvet wings 

To land on ice skittering like a drunken pigeon.

River otters porpoise-like 

In the water

Agile 

Nimble swimmers

Drag their bellies in the snow

An embarrassment of tracks.

Moose cows high-step through 

The overflow to reach my willow pasture

And sleep in my yard 

Leaving nuggets for tips 

From their bonanza motherlode.

Magpies build nests above 

The dog lot 

Alder sticks cluttered in a spruce 

Close to the dog dish.

Our national symbol

—uncompensated

Must spend the winter

Shamelessly 

Scrounging snowbanks

For salmon carcasses

Humans,

an invasive species,

Hope for snow all winter.

Come spring 

they resent it like a house guest 

who stays too long.

And Ode to the Extratuf Gals

 BROWN RUBBER BOOTS

ALASKA gals wear their Extratufs 

like they just stepped off a herring seiner.

High-stylin' ladies acting like their feet don’t stink

Cause Their brown boots ain’t never seen dogshit or fish guts.

Rowdy gals sportin' their Extratufs 

out on the town

Dancing to the music with their tops 

rolled down 

Brown boot tops that is.

Giddy city girls on the beach 

saying their wedding vows 

Wearing Extratufs like they just went fishing and landed a big one.

Mountain women in Extratufs and yoga pants

Laborers in Extratufs and overalls

Teenage girls in Extratufs and shredded jeans

Food service workers in Extratufs and aprons

They're all being woodsy in their Brown rubber boots.

But them Extratufs,

They can’t take ‘em OFF

You know why

Cause they may be cute lookin' all Gucci.

but them sweaty stinky feet get me feeling all pukey.

ExtraTough Breakup

 EXTRATUF BREAKUP

Somewhere

She said,

Somewhere south.

Somewhere where you can 

grow corn and tomatoes in your backyard.

Somewhere

She pleaded,

Somewhere south

Where the wind blows warm

And spring don't feel like tired winter

Somewhere

She insisted,

Somewhere south

Where tulips and daffodils

Don't come from the grocery store

Somewhere

That's where she's gone

Somewhere south

Where she doesn't need 

the breakup boots I'm tripping over 

While wait for her to come north.

.

USING FILTERS

             FILTERS

Folks on Twitter media 
Use filters for their pics

To make their faces pretty 
Try to get them heart-shaped clicks.

But when their words are cast
They use some different tricks
Cause people don’t use filters
When their talking politics.

You’re a fool, an idiot
And your guy’s crook you see.
I’m real smart and always right
My gal's a saint like me.

No argument has many views
compromise -- not a glimmer.
Cause you tell lies and 
She’s a crook, and we know he’s a sinner.

I think we need to find a way 
to filter words for starters
Can’t we all just be polite 

And talk like Jimmy Carter.