April 30, 2022
by Alanna
She is perfect.
rufus breast
her back and wings
cloaked with feathers of burnt umber
She leaves a fledgling
that hops about her still body
I gather it up and place it
under a dense shrub
knowing its chances are slim
to none
Was it my cat?
There are no signs
He too is perfect.
his sleek black and white form
graceful as a panther about the yard
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March 13, 2022
by Alanna
My eyes don’t see the explosions
a world away
still, the shockwaves course through me
images of shattered bodies and buildings
haunt as do the frightened
eyes of people displaced
by relentless violence
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March 13, 2022
by Alanna
Make a Line
then another
keep going
it will become a drawing
Write the date
a word
a sentence
keep going
it will become a story
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January 23, 2022
by Alanna
Slippery as a thrashing fish on the end of a taught line
my idea I foolishly thought I had a firm grip on
slithered away down into the deep recesses of my mind
It rose during some insignificant task
a brilliant, shiny poem that would curry accolades
mine for the taking
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November 28, 2021
by Alanna
I miss you
she said
Do you miss you too?
Yes, I miss me
I said
I miss those walks we had
at the orchard’s edge
philosophical conversation
keeping pace with our breath
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October 20, 2021
by Alanna
Said the tree to the sky
My limb is broken
I will have to find a new way
To dance with the wind
artwork by the author
for the full post behind this poem visit byalanapass.com
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October 3, 2021
by Alanna
The sound of big water
I sit upright
pulse quickening
paying full attention with my body
the rapid comes into view
I spot my line
scouting for boulders, whirlpools
obstacles
that could flip my boat
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August 17, 2021
by Alanna
Unprecedented
temperatures
draught
wildfires
storms
flooding
hospitalizations
deaths
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July 26, 2021
by Alanna
by Alanna Pass
Owl pellet definition: “A regurgitated pellet of bones, hair, and other indigestible parts of an owl’s prey”
sketch by the author
I am learning to write like a great horned owl
I sit on a high perch
so that I may swivel my head in all directions
observing, listening, smelling
for inspirational prey
I leave my perch at a moment’s notice
a presence detected
with a silent swoop I spread my wings
extend my outstretched talons
and snatch my prey before possible escape
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July 2, 2021
by Alanna
Even the bees pant and drink deeply
in a cluster at the edge of the birdbath
My flowers wilt in the searing heat
dropping their petals to survive
their leaves sunburn
The cats stay under the house
cooled by damp earth
A young pigeon sits on the lawn
in a heat-induced torpor
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June 10, 2021
by Alanna
Amid the crossing linear foliage
I spot them
heads nodding
shyly on slim necks
stems curving
with gestures of
graceful ballerinas
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May 29, 2021
by Alanna
In late spring their blooms bid me
hello and farewell several times a day
my Dublin Bay roses that climb
the walkway arbor
a red, so delicious, so powerful
they command my attention
reaching deep in my passings
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April 23, 2021
by Alanna
How can I honor
you who feeds my body
and my soul
who provides me respite
from this troubled word?
I will walk up the mountain
through the meadow
through the wood
I will nod to your blessed
the iris , the camas, the fawn lilly
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April 4, 2021
by Alanna
Prompt “the road not taken” NaPoWriMo
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March 12, 2021
by Alanna
He is the fraidy one
but this morning he chooses me
popping up on my quilted lap
his purr inviting me
to cradle his sweet body
love his ears
and the soft fur of his belly
In this simple encounter
I breathe deeply
inhale our mutual contentment
savor that for this moment
all’s right with the world
Photo by the author
For the backstory on this poem visit byalannapass.com
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January 2, 2021
by Alanna
It’s the season of new
the Earth has spun through the heavens
and arrived at the place we call the beginning
a bookmark we humans have put in the order of things
the New Year, the first day of the first month of the 21st year of the 21st century
All is new, yet all the same
a cycle in a continuum of millennia
yet a comfort that we have a fresh start in our minds
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December 21, 2020
by Alanna
The Darkest Night
It is fairy dark
You can see their
Tiny torches in
The moonless night
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December 7, 2020
by Alanna
I am not fond of starlings
But in late autumn
Sometimes they crowd in the treetops
In a chirping chorus
Like a reunion of relatives
With an abundance of news to share
Who knows what stirs these rather uninspiring birds
To gather in in such a cacophony
Then on queue as if the din is too much
They rise from their perches to find positions
In an undulating dance that wafts over harvested fields.
They dip, swirl and twirl as one body
Thousands of avian forms performing with
Ballet grace in the sky
I pause from my walk to watch with reverence
A celebration?
A spiritual rite?
Scientists still don’t know quite how or why
A mystery
But I know magic when I see it
fot the backstory on this post visit byalannpass.com
artwork by the author
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November 23, 2020
by Alanna
I missed our walkabouts
His cattle dog body
All worn out
So I bought him a stroller
That saw four children grow
Then fixed it up
So he could go
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October 31, 2020
by Alanna
For the backstory on this poem go to byalannapass.com
Image by the author
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October 1, 2020
by Alanna
How do you mourn a forest?
The universe it contains
Tree, fern, fungus, moss
Lichens draping from branches
How do you mourn the creatures?
That lost their lives
Their homes taken in an inferno of flames
Fanned by devil winds
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September 11, 2020
by Alanna
As Oregon burns
A dry wind howls from the east
We extinguish the candles
and do not sleep
As Oregon burns
A black cloud draws across the sky like a flat curtain
Led by the dark horses of the apocalypse
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September 7, 2020
by Alanna
They appeared slowly
Like stars one by one
Vole holes
Holes from voles
Not a rat, nor mouse, nor mole
But a vole
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August 30, 2020
by Alanna
(Credit: RubberBall / Alamy) via bbc.com
To pick up a stray dog
To swerve for a mouse
To vote
To let another cut in front of you
To pick up litter
To eat less meat
To cook
To mend
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August 14, 2020
by Alanna
For the backstory on this post visit byalannapass.com
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July 17, 2020
by Alanna
Not flossing before bed
Saying no to the news
Watching a movie first thing in the morning
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June 21, 2020
by Alanna
I sought the perfect poem
for this longest day
It was a Goldilocks affair-
this poem too flowery
this poem- what does this one have to do
with Summer Solstice?
None were right
I cannot wear the words of these authors
comfortably
So I must write my own poem
of what the Summer Solstice means to me
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June 7, 2020
by Alanna
Bend, lift, snap, pin
repeat
the basket empties
the lines fill
the mind stills
banners of clothing
undulate with the breath
of a June morning
Image by the author
for the backstory of this poem go to byalannaPass.com
Alanna also blogs at One Sweet Earth (sustainability in small steps)
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