poems

The Price of Success

the buzz, buzz, buzz of a chainsaw

each branch dismembered

piece by piece falling to the ground

piled up like waste

in the back of a rusty green pickup

the trunk

cordword waiting for cremation on winter nights

a stalwart stump stands in  memorial

R.I.P. Mr. Drake Elm

survivor of hurricanes, brown scale, frequent dog abuse,

and criticism for growing too big for a small patio…

until the day harsh sunlight filled the emptiness.

(The Price of Success was written by Debbie Burton and published in Volume 42 Winter 2015/16 of Time of Singing

Landscape Artists  

We are the daughters of the blue ice.

Warmed by the sun, we hasten from the tundra to pursue our course.

As we unite, our blue-green complexion emerges like mixed paint.

Together we plunge.

Earnestly obeying gravity

Yet, we are unrestrained.

Like sculptors, we chisel the rocky mountain to expose its secrets.

We  engrave our signatures on the canyon walls.

Our voices rise as we lift boulders and place them where we please.

Our song echoes in the valley.

(Landscape Artists was written by Debbie Burton and published in Volume 41

Winter 2014/15 Time of Singing

Predawn Drama

The stars disappear as black becomes gray.

Orion moves on to hunt for small prey.

Soft  pinks and yellows arrive in the east.

Little bats hurry to finish their feast.

Just as the sparrow announces first light,

sleepy eyed night hawks descend from their flight.

As Buddy, our beagle, wraps up his routine

I ponder these moments betwixt and between.

(written by Debbie Burton and published in Vol. 42 Summer 2015Time of Singing