C.J. Prince

Emergency

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_Ambulance_.jpg

Look, I know what happened

Here.  It’s summer.  Remember,

How we freeze in winter?  Well,

In summer, it’s too hot.

She collapsed.  She hit her head.

 

She feels light headed, her vision

Drifting like a cloud.  Someone,

The teacher maybe, asks her

A question.  No, she says,

She’s fine.  No, no water,

She says.  Someone helps

Her to sit.  She collapses,

Hits her head.  No, she says,

I’m fine, don’t call my husband.

 

They come, the EMTs, ten

Or a dozen, no one counts

As they beehive around

The still form, taking vitals,

Setting up a stretcher.

Three fire engines wait

Outside the door.  They

Rush her to the hospital.

 

We all wonder what

Happened.

 

C.J. Prince

                ©2018

Soul of the Northwest

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BigLeaf maple

 

Big leaf maple,  Acer macrophyllum,

leaves shine sugar coated.

Alive in a hundred shades of green,

I am the Northwest, soul of the planet.

Catch a raindrop.

Tip your chin up.

Drink sky water.

Splash into the lake.

Mystery lies in downward clouds.

Wait for the midnight owl.

C.J. Prince

Copyright 2016

 

The Lord of Words

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33219-2-1363130172

 

The Lord of Words

clattered to a halt

in his rickety wagon,

shelves askew, quills and ink,

old type settings, dictionaries

and thesaurus.  Just as I

reached for an ancient

tattered  binding, he urged

his nag forward.

I have been following

his trail ever since.

C.J. Prince

©2016

Attending the Dawn

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kephera

When did you first listen to the tale of Kephera?

In your grandam’s lap or at the feet of the goddess?

No life exists without the Scarab god Kephera.

Each day he rises from the dung heap of horizon

to ease the solar globe from the clutches of night.

 

My ancestors and I attend the daily ritual

for no dung heap exists in the galactic center

without the skill of earthworms.

We  are dawn’s assistants

to He Who Raises the Sun,

the Keeper of Cycles of Light and Dark.

It is I who attend the daily alignment of stars.

 

When you remember Kephera,

Remember me as one of service

to the greater good.

C.J. Prince

©2016

A Kenning of Bones

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 moon, bay, tree silhouette

She ken his foot-rhythm

but did not turn.

The opal of the night

would reveal him soon enough.

Before stars succumb to Kephera’s gift,

they will stand unwoven,

sink to silent moss.

Throats cannot contain ecstasy.

C.J. Prince

©2016

Braids of Cruelty & Bliss

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snow on longs peak

 

July is the cruelest month.

January, a celebration.

August is death.

October, change.

February, new born lambs, castration.

April shouts hope and pollen.

September, things are not equal.

March, beware the lamb and lion.

December, luminaries in snow.

October, too many witch’s hats.

June, snow in the Rockies.

November, forgiveness.

May, fire dance.

July 26th, the diagnosis.

C.J. Prince

©2016

Darkness of Sorrow

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purple hyacinth

Darkness of Sorrow

 

I am the scent of purple hyacinth,

the mist courting moon,

an unfurled floribunda.

 

I am the blue of lake

sucked into heaven,

the memory of withered amaryllis.

Like the moon, I shine

even when you can’t see me.

C.J. Prince

©2016

DAY 29: Border Crossing Review

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border

Border Crossing Review

(previously published in Border Crossing Journal, April 2015)

5 ˜˜˜Stars:   Superior/polite, efficient, helpful

4  ˜˜˜Stars:   Small details may annoy

3 ˜˜˜ Stars:   Officious, challenging, usually on US side

2 ˜˜ Stars:    Don’t like your bumper stickers, make you get out of car

1 ˜ Star:       Inferior/may be detained for no reason/ rude interrogation

 (Unfortunately the stars do not show up in this format.)

Northbound:  Lynden/Aldergrove Crossing

Before planning your northern sojourn,

remember to activate

your data roaming.  If in doubt,

call your carrier to see if this is free.

Tourist, travelers and truckers are fewer

than locals but don’t discount this one-womaned

border unit with a friendly officer inviting you

to enjoy your stay, eh?  That is after you

hand over all the passports of passengers,

and answer a few questions about

tobacco, firearms, alcohol and a new restriction

regarding eggs and all poultry products

due to pathogenic avian influenza in the U.S.

Passports are returned with a smile.

Before you merge onto a Canadian road,

find that illusive little button that flips

miles to kilometers and cruise along

verdant pastures to find the open roads

of our sister country to the north.

Drawback:  Lynden/Aldergrove border opens at 8:30 a.m.

This traveler was told the delayed opening

accommodates an adjacent dairy

which must milk the girls on standard time

and the border traffic interrupts

their flow.  So drive mindfully

and check the time.  Plan ahead.

There is no Nexus lane.

Southbound:  Aldergrove/Lynden

Upon leaving the province,

head south through a maze of construction,

“Oh, it’s the Canadians,” the U.S. border guard

will blame, but still with a smile

in this two lane option as squirrely

to maneuver as the Peace Arch.

It was an easy crossing that day,

with smiles and what did you bring back?

A skein of yarn, sir, and a full belly.

Well, welcome home, he said.

On your next mini international trip,

try an inland border crossing

and enjoy an exceptional  experience.

Due to early morning border closing,

This 5 Star ˜˜˜˜˜crossing

required an inconvenient  drive

to Sumas during milking time.

Thus this rating

is only 4 ˜˜˜˜Stars.

~C.J. Prince

©2015

Border Crossing expert C.J. Prince has reviewed borders worldwide. 

Find her monthly reviews here in Border Crossing Journal and in her

Syndicated column throughout North America.