Tag: Michigan

all the goodbyes

a fleeting embrace
ending
with one last glance
one last wave
as you step
through security
with no one to help you
with your insecurity
ushered into
a waiting room
after transferring a kiss
from you hand
to her forehead
overwhelming outcomes
swirl in your mind
a quiet prayer
folded hands
shoulders
crushed beneath
sorrow and pain
rest
gently rest
i’ll see you
again
a collection
of expectations
neatly organized
as you donate them
to the upside down reality
that is also your lament

younger days
when smiles
were abundant
surrender to
deep steel eyes
aged by the weight
of all that you must release
all that you thought
was the melody of your journey
memories
that just fade
and others
that won’t go away
songs that remain
falling into the echoes
of time and reminiscence
of sad joy
and mournful gratitude
sunsets loudly
dazzle your soul
swallowed by night
colors overtaken
by unstoppable darkness
still
i welcome
every hello
every greeting
every start
every beginning
every hope
every hug
every grace
every possibility
every giggle
every sunset
every sunrise
while holding
all the goodbyes
and i’m glad
so
immeasurably
glad

i
am
with
you

monochrome lighthouse

A few pics of the lighthouse at South Haven, Michigan on a cold, cloudy New Year’s day.

carousels can be a bit scary…

…don’t you think? Thanks for stopping by!

south haven beauty

Spent a beautiful afternoon in South Haven, Michigan. The day was gorgeous, and very windy. For the para surfers: a perfect day!

south haven 2

south haven 2

So….. I imagine this sea gull, (if they fly by a lake are they called lake gulls?) while reflecting on this faithful, old lighthouse that has been keeping watch for years, suddenly being stunned by the question that has now formed in his bird brain: who keeps watch over the lighthouse?

lonely playground

 

lonely playground

playground poem

winter’s grip

winter's grip

New Buffalo, Michigan is not exactly known as a winter-get-away-from-it-all kind of destination. Especially if you live in Chicago! It’s about an hour and fifteen minute drive from our home and dear friends allow us to stay in their condo, so it has become our destination to celebrate our anniversary. This image, and the next, were taken on a cold winter day, when the wind was especially angry and simply did not grant you permission to take another step without wondering if your internal temperature would leave you looking like Jack Nicholson at the end of The Shining. When I took this, I thought the sun might win, but the wind, snow, and clouds seemed to lock it away in some cold, celestial prison where they might play with it, impervious to the immeasurable heat and radiation. We loved it…. and had a great time.

lake shore and light

lake shore and light

Back to a different shore: here we are again at New Buffalo, MI. It was a particularly beautiful day….. my wife and I enjoyed a walk along Lake Michigan soaking in the sun and marveling at the ocean-like size and scope of the lake. I still prefer salty air, and the unique sound of the ocean waves, but I have to admit, Lake Michigan is beautiful.

willow and light

willow and light

Another post from our recent trip to New Buffalo, MI. There are two large willow trees (don’t you just love willow trees?) behind a hotel on the marina. I found this cature beneath the boughs of one of those old willows.