Growing up in New England, over 50 miles from the ocean, fog was rare and exotic weather when I was growing up. My Dad would tell me about the pea soup fog in London and I imagined getting lost. Living in San Francisco, 2 miles from the ocean fog is a very frequent visitor and … More The Fog Speaks –– October, 2022 Featured Poem
I am hoping this will appear in my third poetry book which is currently in the editing process. This poem is in a loose version of a haibun. The great Japanese poet Matsuo Basho wrote many haibuns. This form is composed of a short prose piece followed by a haiku. I went down a delightful … More City of Forty Hills — September, 2022 Featured Poem
Dear Friends–So much sound and fury is spent on the politics of controlling the bodies of others. This is a timely book, coming out before the elections, that might make it possible for some actual listening to real people dealing with complexities of being human. Please look for it when it comes out. I believe … More Reproductive Choices Poetry Anthology
Many of us have lived with or still enjoy old dogs. I remember my childhood dog, India, with this poem. If you had not heard, there are more dogs than children in San Francisco. I see a bunch of them out my window at the park all day. Sometimes they come at late dusk or … More Grandmother–Featured Poem for March, 2022
Lilacs are special flowers for me. I grew up with three shades of lilac bushes around our house. They come in lilac-lilac, deep purple and white and smell ever so slightly different, or so I imagined. T.S.Eliot’s poems made an early impression on me and I appreciated his use of lilacs evoking the wild, mystical, … More What Did The Scrub Jay Notice?Featured Poem for February, 2022
I now know more people who have had breakthrough Delta COVID than I know who had COVID before they were vaccinated. While my friends don’t happen to be dangerously sick, thankfully, this is a time to do our best to remember that sickness and displacement can also bring opportunities for connection and caring. I wish … More Convalescence-Featured Poem August, 2021
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
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
Heather Saunders Estes 