yesterday was a day of hard news
when i moved to this old farm
i wanted to know more about the landscape.
i had been living in the adirondacks, and now
north of the blue line there were things i wanted to know.
how to identify things.
how the ecosystem here works.
so i took a class
with the amazing dr john green at st lawrence university
we walked out every class
learning to dig and eat ground nuts
milkweed
identify scats, made a bird skin
at yoga yesterday i asked janet how he was doing.
john's heart stopped in july while he was swimming,
vacationing, in a vermont lake
(john's heart had stopped several times before)
he was 87. i was away, and missed this sad news.
i remember him with love, respect.
~~~
at our house these candies, sesame seeds and honey
the kids long ago named dr. green candy
john would hand them out while hiking
and he gave ian one once.
~~~
after yoga there was a festival in the park
news of several friends with pancreatic cancer.
another friend with a long illness.
they are learning to live
and die, with courage and grace.
to janet, and to cait and chris and ed and becky
i send my love.
to those who knew john,
i share this:
i'm out skiing with wendy, meet john also on skis,
with his beloved tuck, black labrador, big grin,
on the kip tract, in the glorious snow.
his 70-something boyish grin, a greeting and a hug,
a little chat, and we ski on.
goodbye john.