I like watching men shave. What can I say. I have a couple poem meditations on the second child my husband and I never choose to try for. I am very happy with the one, fabulous child we have! Options and paths-not-taken interest me these days. This is from my newest book CLOUDBREAK which just … More Ablutions-Featured Poem July, 2021
ANNOUNCEMENT! I am so excited my newest book Cloudbreak is out in the world! Thanks to you, my readers, my friends, Indiegogo backers, Wild Women Writers poetry group members, and Poetic Matrix Press. For more information, please click on this link to the announcement post. The Supreme Court has been on my mind recently so … More Emergence- the Featured Poem June, 2021
This is from my new book CLOUDBREAK that will be available in bookstores by the end of this June. You can pre-order through my Indiegogo Campaign website and I’ll sign and send sooner. Some of the poems in the book, including this one, are about the process of deciding to leave my beloved career as … More The Book of Hours-Featured Poem May, 2021
The April Featured Poem “Car Racing Through the Rain ” is from Cloudbreak. I was grateful for the opportunity to visit many Planned Parenthood Northern California supporters and Health Centers around the Bay and up to the Oregon border. Three decades of commutes like these, when I was CEO, eventually wore me down a bit, … More Car Racing Through the Rain- April, 2021 Featured Poem
Poetic Matrix Press has published my second book, CLOUDBREAK. This book of poetry covers what brought me to my work with social justice and reproductive health, and how I transitioned, after 37 years, to writing. I would love to have you read my book. Thank you to my reviewers, friends, family, teachers, editor and the … More CLOUDBREAK is Available Now!
I first wrote Respect as a more ordinarily formatted poem, but I am presenting it below as a Haibun. This is an originally Japanese form of prose paired with a haiku. Haibuns lend themselves to experimentation of form. Our intensive time in the house, these pandemic days, draws my attention to neighborhood non-human creatures. I … More Respect- Featured Poem for February, 2021
I have been refining and rewriting this poem for a couple of years. I pleased to share this version but it might still change. My daughter is a very active knitter right now and I am repeatedly inspired by the delightful textures, rich colors, and sheep smells of the different wools. Knitting seems to me … More Pacific Coast – Featured Poem January, 2021
Living among Monterey pines in San Francisco, I temporarily forgot about deciduous leaves in winter. Thank you to Sacramento for bringing them back to me. Stay well these Holidays. Overlooked Ghosts You can see their spirits streaming awayin ectoplasm prints preserved each autumn.Not every tree’s leavesmanifest dying so clearly— releasing slow-motion scarlet flamesas they are … More Overlooked Ghosts––Featured Poem for December, 2020
We lived part-time in Sacramento over the past 18 months. Their trees are large, beautiful, and numerous. They reminded me of Massachusetts, at least part of the time. When the orange tree ripened, I was quite sure I was not in New England. Sacramento just outlawed leaf blowers. I approve. This poem is from the … More Land Park Fall – Featured Poem for November, 2020
More shelter-in-place personal revelations. Hope you all are staying well. Giraffe A six feet 5” girlis sheltering-in-placein our house.I am 5 feet 2”and dropping.I want to stareat her tallnessas at a redwood.I lean backto see her. In her life,ceilings arereachable skies.Spider websin upper cornersof patio doorsget in her hair.Down the backstairs,she ducks to avoidbeing foreheaded. … More Giraffe–Poem for October, 2020
Heather Saunders Estes 