Wild Poems

Listen to Chris read “Wild Grief”

Start up close and from the back side.
Don’t reach for the long view yet.
It’s too much to ask of your grieving heart.

Look close up, to the silhouette of seed heads on Wild grass.
Stand behind a sunflower, on the back side,
where each extended petal glows […]

Snow!!!  And lots of it!

We snow lovers have been waiting
with varying degrees of patience…or not.

But the skies have opened.
Winter finally decided to decorate.
She woke from her long slumber
and brushed the snow from her den.

Flakes came down with steady swirling grace,
crystal upon crystal, until there were inches.
And more inches.  And she’s […]

Rain. Rain? In Minnesota?!? In winter??!!??

As puddles deepened, the temperature fell.
Clumps of slush froze in place.
Long stretches of ice now shape the terrain.
Even weeks later,
a simple walk requires full attention and a little luck.
Snow has eluded us, so we look out on ice and
patches of frozen grass.

I’m not sure who […]

If you live in a part of the world where,
looking out your window right now,
you see leaves in radiant shades
of crimson and saffron,
then, by any means necessary,
get yourself outside.

Look how sunlight or the muted tones of grey
make each leaf glow as they hold fast
or twist in the wind,
drifting and sailing […]

We all have our ways.
Things we do, think, say, or feel
that help us get present again
when we’ve drifted far into the murky waters
of worrying about what’s to come or what has been.

For me, it’s often tactile—
breathing in soft fur
working in the garden
splitting wood
paddling, hiking, biking
rich conversation
the call of an owl
the […]

There are times of pure joy.
Those moments that fill us up
where nothing else is present
but that sense of light
flowing through and around us.

It’s glorious.
It bolsters and renews our spirits.
Grounding us firmly in the moment.
Reminding us to revel and to savor.

And…it’s rare.
Because most of the time
we hold a complex slurry
of emotions, […]