Letting Go

More than a thousand 

Peace cranes

Meditations

Secret frustrations

Friendships unfulfilled

 

Clearing

So nobody else goes

What the hell am I going to do

With all this dusty crap

 

Thousands Released

Paper cranes

Cancelled checks

All the same

 

Passed

Closed Dad’s eyes

Tried his jaw

Maybe he had

More to say 

 

Church of Chip

Forays

Camping thirsty minutes 

Away

New Brighton Beach

Yellowstone

Morro Bay

My time to

Light candles

 

Love Notes

Little poems

Clothes pins 

Time of

Attachments

Momo

Momo

Hiccups

Black cat

Itchy ears

Itchy feet

Want to travel

What do I 

Want to hear

Grief Like Hot Flashes

 

Grief Like Hot Flashes

Arise in a moment

Demand attention

Eventually, disperse 

Vibrissae

 

Vibrissae
A Collection of Cats, Facts, and Whiskers

Inspired by the Santa Cruz Museum of Art And History's exhibit on local collectors, this book was a collaboration between a mother and daughter. Kayla Rose, a crazy cat lady at heart, has collected over a hundred cat whiskers that she found around the house over two decades from a medley of family pets. She wrote the poem to honor all the past, present, and future cats who bring joy into their lives. 

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty and Perceptive.

Kayla and Amber Rose are wise in the ways of cats. No subtlety escapes their eyes. Full of humor and insight, this small book reveals much in its short pages. Well worth the time.

Holding On

Holding On

I would have held on to

That burnt-out light bulb

For twenty years or more

If you had asked

I did lose the Queen of Hearts

If we meet

I'll have to take off my clothes

I returned the tombstone

Anti-apartheid Bear with

The leather feet

All the past

Treasures

The Adventures of Baby Moon

The Adventures of Baby Moon
Written and Illustrated by Nona Kayla

Join Claire de la Lune in the Adventures of Baby Moon. A charming illustrated children's book filled with pleasing watercolors, perfect for reading at storytime, bedtime, or any time. Claire discovers the seasons, connects with family and friends, and yes, even helps to save the day.

Loki

 

Coyote, Coyote, Coyote

we have a complex relationship. I have a coyote vertebrae I found out in the desert many years ago. Coyotes recently ate one of my cats, Mango. The trickster, jokester, slyster, heister. 

It has taken me a long time to get this far in this painting, and I see more to do. Meanwhile, I make book covers and remake the pressed wildflowers from the Appalachian trail that my fairy stepson brought me, as well as creating a fra,e for my recently deceased sister-in-law, Carol. Since her death, both of her sons/my nephews have passed, as well as my across-the-street neighbor, Anita - we had been on the same street for thirty years.

Saturn Return in Pisces. Bless astrology for giving me some context, because certainly, I feel my faith has been being tested.

Seed Ritual

Seed Ritual

Find some seeds - pumpkin, sunflower, poppy, wildflowers

Whatever floats your fancy

Hold them in your palm and whisper your wishes

Imbue them with your hot breath

Walk around your house, church, or favorite field

Clockwise or counter, notice what feels right

At each of the four directions (and the cross directions)

Throw your seeds, scatter them

To the wind that they may find fertile ground

To the ants to feed the hive mind community

To the squirrels and chipmunks stuffing their cheeks with abundance 

To the birds, who will fly into your dreams 

Invite in the rain 

Release any frustrations, cry 

Welcome the sun f

Feel a sense of energy begin to build.

Trust that you'll be able to weed out 

What is weak or ineffectual 

Focus and simplify 

Nourish your dreams 

As they unfurl from a mere thought to full manifestation 

Shelter your dreams - tell no one 

Until you see sure signs of growth,

Ready for assistance

Immune to criticism

 Of the naysayers

Just like the rose is immune

With its thorns.

Seeds of hope

Seeds of change.

Seeds of peace

And seed money

Flourish into abundance 

Benefiting all the creatures of the earth

This or something better now occurs 

For the greatest good

So mote it be. Blessed be.

Berkana

Paper Whites

Paper Bark

Quivers

When I was in first grade, living in McLean, Virginia,  I had the biggest crush on Birch, who sat two desks away from mine in the second row. For some reason he wore little wrist sweatbands, maybe to emulate Bjorn Borg, the Swedish tennis champ of the time. We were partnered for the Horah dance at the holiday pagent, but he got sick and I had to dance with Ross instead.

Now when I look at the birch tree in my front yard, I'm aware of the rising sap, the way the Elm is stealing the sun away from it, and the spread of roots from the nearby bottlebrush. Yet it thrives, pushing out new leaves, allowing the bark to peel when need be.

F is for Family

F is for Family
Baby Katharine’s Alphabet Adventures

A special ABC to celebrate alternative, extended, blended, and birth families! 

Welcome to the world, Katharine,

How wonderful you will be!

Because you are the blossom,

Of the most amazing family tree!

Inguz

 

Genes splice

To our delight

Replicating

Mutating

Changing

Evolution

Revolutions

Beginnings

"Once in a lifetime...

    Same as it ever was..."

                -Talking Heads

It's hard at the moment to not make a laundry list of the earth's woes. It's not so much a question of "what is happening"but "what am I doing about it?"

And that starts with loving yourself. Making peace with yourself. Change old patterns. Adopt a calm certainty. Notice all of the preparation it takes before emergence. Evolution - life is good, and it will get better. Allow yourself a sense of completion, and fulfillment, kisses on both cheeks, and job well done. A merging, a partnership, all that was unravelled will be knitted together again.

Grieving Ritual

Grieving Ritual

Find a small ring-sized cardboard box or fabric pouch

Fill it with a pinch each of rosemary, sage, lavender 

Write on slips of paper

Names of what has died

Friends, relationships

Parents, ancestors, pets 

Children, grandchildren,, miscarriages abortions 

The children you will never know.

Add photos, locks of hair, old threads

Decorate the box, seal it shut

Wrap it in pretty paper 

Add a paper or fabric bow, just not plastic 

Choose whether to

Burn it - 

Cast the ashes 

To the wind, into the sea

Flush it away

Bury it - plant some seeds on top

Forget-me-nots, purple pansies,  catnip

Find a running stream

Weigh it down with stones, add

A carved heart

The watch that had seen better times

Feast

Mannaz

 

Mannaz asks us to look in the mirror, really look in the mirror, and make eye contact with yourself. Make "I contact" with your Self.

Look into your left eye, then your right. Notice the colors of your iris, the depth of your pupils, the real questions. 

Allow yourself to feel immersed in the wonder of a newborn - I am a being, I have a body, I have breath, I can reflect and self-reflect. 

Invite in clarity, modesty, and certainly some humor. Be present. Be happy with what you see in the mirror. If you're not happy, what do you need to do? Let go of any false beliefs, perchance?

Kisses on both cheeks

Each of the acne scars

The crooked tooth, chipped again

Laugh lines, wrinkles

The map of  your face

Contours

Changing Woman: Poems 2007 - 2016

Changing Woman: Poems 2007 - 2016

Kayla used to be a priestess of Aphrodite, but she was such a bitch - all those lessons in love, including jealousy, heartache, misery, and despair. Now she is the Priestess of Laphrodite, Goddess of the Belly laugh. Laughter is the best medicine, but as far as Kayla was concerned, it's also the best lube. Reflecting a time of questing and questioning for our Baby Crone, she changes careers, discovers online dating, and fuels her passion for blogging.  

Writer’s Talisman

Go out when the Harvest moon is full,

Cut yourself a slender switch by

Pruning the plum runners

 - Those suckers of energy -

Remember to ask permission first.

Strip the tender green leaves,

Gently bend into a circle,

Weaving in, out, in, out.

Let it dry in the morning sun for a few weeks,

Until the New Moon is as thin

As a newborn’s fingernail clipping.

Now, begin braiding in your tales.

Dreamcatcher, pentacle, God's eye,

Or simply a spider's web.

Find your tin sewing box that's

Full of needles, embroidery threads.

Take the time to untangle

Silver, gold strings,

Satin ribbons, bits of knobby yarns,

Projects once begun, not necessarily done.

Measure out your silk cords,

Cut them like one of the Fates.

Begin to add the ephemera collected,

The spiritual smegma of the past:

Broken charm bracelets, lone earrings,

A tiny Aladdin's lamp, a tinier key,

Hummingbird skulls, raven feathers,

Your mother's beads, grandmother's pearls,

Antique buttons from your mother-in-law.

The helping hand milagra,

Other tokens of luck, affections past.

Maybe add in a wisdom tooth or 

That first baby tooth your child lost, 

You know you have it somewhere,

Take the time to find it.

Purest white seashells with holes, 

Palest sea glass jaded by time.

A lachrymal filled to the brim with

The dried salt from an ocean of tears.

Use glue for butterfly wings, other things,

Of course, add some glitter - 

Really, make it yours.

Don’t tie on the wishbone,

Remember, you have a backbone.

Choose instead snake vertebrae,

Relics of coyote found in the desert.

Keys that have been lost in the junk drawer-

They still unlock your imagination.

A crystal to reflect all your facets.

Don’t worry if it’s chipped,

It will cast more rainbows that way.

Honor all the elements.

As you work, remember:

Every bead, every breath, 

Every knot is a prayer.

Tie everything three times while chanting:

In the name of the maiden, 

The mother, the crone,

I'm here by myself, but never alone.

When it feels almost complete,

Or at least good enough,

Hang it above your desk,

In the window, the tree outside.

As the wind ruffles the feathers,

Makes the beads clink, bells tinkle,

Take in their essence, 

Let them come out as stories...

Sit now, here in this sacred space,

The corner of the kitchen table, 

Cats meowing for attention.

Write down in your women’s notebook, 

Ubiquitous journal, book of shadows,

Every memory, every symbol.

Because, you know, as they say...

Witches 

Spell 

It 

Out.