Kathi's Poems & Travel Tales

Jacob in the Pumpkin Patch

kathi — 2004-04-11T18:38:12-08:00

Do you remember the day
we visited the pumpkin patch?
It must have been a day or two
before Halloween:
you were wearing your cozy gray
kitty-cat costume,
with its tail and paws
and pointy little ears.

First Crossing for Three: California to Hawaii

kathi — 2003-10-01T21:53:42-08:00

We caught a spring lull between winter gales
And hurricanes, into the wind and seasick,
Until wind shift and sea change, our headsail filled,
Like a huge quarter of a hot-air balloon.

Tourist Notes

kathi — 2003-08-02T17:18:55-08:00

They look like California boys
       skateboards tuned
   casual
   windblown
   intent
         working
            the
               slope
   green shorts
   glossy
riding the shadow of Eiffel's tower.

Water Dance

kathi — 2003-07-16T21:51:36-08:00

Enzo dances in the center
of the shopping mall fountain
surrounded by sleepy shoppers
watching with gathering amusement

Jakey's Poem

kathi — 2003-04-11T11:07:43-08:00

In our first picture of you, 
I see our beautiful 
beautiful pink baby,
all wrapped up 
like the perfect little gift 
you are,
angelic adorable little face
perfectly still.

But only for the instant when we snapped your picture.

An Epithalamion for Heather and Will

kathi — 2002-09-07T22:00:58-08:00

They began with all those phone calls

Heather in L.A.

Will in Hawaii

late summer, 1992

Enzo's List of Things to Do

kathi — 2001-07-16T11:04:06-08:00

Play with toys
Play with friends
Play tag
Play hide-&-seek
Play computer games
Play catch
Play music
Play with Silly Putty
Play with Play-Doh
Play in the park
  Slide down the slide
  Swing on the swing
  Climb the ladders
  Ride the train
  Ride the merry-go-round

To Enzo on his Second Birthday

kathi — 2000-07-16T10:59:04-08:00

First we saw your tiny swimming feet,
your tiny turned-up nose,
weeks before your were born,
and then
we couldn�t take our eyes off you,
your own new-baby blue eyes shut tight.

What�s next, my love?

kathi — 1992-01-01T21:55:53-08:00

What's next, my love? Shall we build an airplane,
A shining RV-6 to swoop and float in air?
We'll fasten the parts with our usual flair,
Windshield and wingtips our mutual gain.

First Crossing for Three: California to Hawaii 1990

kathi — 1990-12-31T21:48:39-08:00

Whenever we asked old salts about the crossing from California to Hawaii, they told us, "It's a sleighride, downwind all the way." And I guess they were right, more or less. But to us--three coastal cruisers making our first passage--it felt very different. Bill was captain, navigator, and handyman, the most indispensable member of the crew; I was quartermaster, cook, chief helmsman, and scribe; and Will, our nineteen year old son, was deck monkey, weather man, entertainment director, and general assistant. The three of us had explored the California Channel Islands for years on Easy 2, our thirty-six foot sloop built by S2; ten years ago, we'd even sailed down the Intracoastal Waterway to the Bahamas, Easy 2's six-month maiden voyage. Since then, we'd returned to our jobs and our former lives, still dreaming of an ocean crossing. But when Bill's work took us to the Big Island of Hawaii, at a convenient time in my own career, the dreams became plans, the plans an unforgettable reality.

Three for Will

kathi — 1979-09-29T14:11:34-08:00

At four your legs grip my arm
  spine arched
for the froglimbed plunge of the
  back somersault.

Bright blurry eyes
  grin
under water.

Blond seaweed erupts
for the air gulp
then retreats once more
to your element.

San Miguel

kathi — 1978-01-01T21:22:49-08:00

The running wind had increased to a walking wind by the time Ben turned from the beach for the climb to his tent. It amused him to explain his system for measuring the wind to the island's infrequent visitors: in a light wind a man could run on the island; in a moderate wind he could walk, but during the all too common heavy winds, even a crawl was difficult. With a glance at the blowing sand obliterating his footprints on the dunes below, Ben entered the canyon that wound toward his camp.

Santa Barbara Island

kathi — 1976-10-02T17:16:01-08:00

Drying
dying in a teeming sea
the land sleeps skeleton scattered:

rabbit bones brittling white
weed grass feathered in wind
parchment shells coiled vacant.

Puget Sound

kathi — 1975-09-29T14:07:24-08:00

The long deep woods
held us
as we crept down the path to the sea:
wooden steps slippery-green
cool bright underferns
water-cupped leaves
blue-black berries
odor of fresh-rotting wood.