California Winter, 2026

A New Poem

These times call out for a lot of things.

California Winter, 2026

To honor the glint of sunlight on pine needles,
To honor the yellow-breasted goldfinch on the feeder,
To honor the clematis vine's white winter blossoms,
To honor the green and golden Meyer lemons ripening on the tree,
To honor the golden hillsides turning emerald green,
To honor the colored chalk message on the sidewalk,
To honor the early blooming magnolias and dusty yellow acacias,
To honor the rain in the forecast,
To honor the night-stalking raccoons and skunks in the city,
To honor the music heard downstairs through the ceiling,
To honor the blessing of being untouched by violence,
To honor especially those touched by violence,
To honor what we have done,
To honor what we need to do,
To honor the elders who have seen so much,
To honor the youngers who must take up the torch,
To honor the children who will inherit it all,
To honor the beauty and bounty of the earth,
To honor life, means 
To honor all the feelings,
All the grief, all the mourning, all the rage, all the desperation,
And, most especially, all the hope.