Poem for Wednesday

Return of the Prodigal
By Charles Wright

Now comes summer, water clear, clouds heavy with weeping.
Tall grasses are silver-veined.
Little puddles of sunlight collect
                                                  in low places deep in the woods.

Lupine and paintbrush stoic in ditch weed,
                                           larch rust a smear on the mountainside.
No light on ridge line.
Zodiac pinwheels across the heavens,
                                                            bat-feint under Gemini.

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The kids had a two-hour delay starting school due to snow. I drove Adam and his best friend there so they wouldn't have to walk in sub-freezing temperatures on icy sidewalks. Then I lost the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon to a migraine -- quite literally, I took a pill and lay down for what was supposed to be a few minutes, then opened my eyes more than an hour later with my head clearer but hungry, unwashed, and hopelessly behind. My only real accomplishment was cleaning my toilet!

I was delighted to wake up to the news that the Maryland senate had agreed to discuss repealing the death penalty even though conservatives tried to kill it in committee; they're unlikely to abolish it outright, but chipping away at it would be a wonderful start (and not something I really thought this governor could accomplish, though one of my favorite things about him is that he feels strongly enough to put his job on the line for this issue). And I read the analysis of the train wreck that is the Chandra Levy case -- it's probably ridiculous to count on a lying, cheating politician for anything, but I'm glad Condit didn't do it.


A vulture above the C&O Canal at Pennyfield Lock last month.


The canal curves around large boulders that rise above the Potomac River gorge...


...with trees growing out of the rocky cliffs.


Mansions overlook the Potomac River from far above. I liked that from hundreds of feet below, we could see the Christmas tree inside the window of this one.


Here is a very boring photo of the river, which is very wide and flat at this point -- quite a contrast with Great Falls a few miles away.


Between the canal and river is the Pennyfield Lockhouse, which has been restored to working condition.


I'm not sure what the vultures eat when there's no carrion to eat, but there are several pairs of them living near the lock.

We watched two interesting on National Geographic in the evening -- Shipwreck! Captain Kidd and Secrets of the Star Disc -- the first about the search for the 17th century ship Quedagh Merchant, which Kidd abandoned and whose treasure he hid while he was defending himself against charges of piracy (which the researchers on this show feel were unfair), the second about a Bronze Age German artifact which may be the earliest European calendar and star chart. Then we watched the Maryland men lose to Wake Forest (the women won the ACC, whoo!). And then we watched Jon Stewart explain that Rush Limbaugh is Jabba the Hutt!