February 25, 2024


Three Poems


    The Key

    Rummaging through a drawer
    I come across a key
    that I do not recognize.

    Perhaps a house key,
    maybe not this house,
    but another now forgotten.

    I should throw it out
    the locks are probably changed
    but I won't, at least not yet.

    I may need this key
    to unlock a memory
    of some other place and time.



    Looking Within

    Today I came across
    an old book of poetry
    that I had purchased
    but then forgot.

    Opening the book
    two white petals fall out –
    rose petals lightly tinged
    and pressed flat.

    So, who could have left
    this simple keepsake?
    For what reason?
    And why this book?

    My mind wanders
    filled with curious thoughts
    stirred by rose petals
    found in a book.



    The Passing Day

    The cat
    is laying in the sun
    by the window.

    Beyond the window
    dead leaves are blown about
    by a wintry wind.

    Pots that had held
    blooms of summer flowers,
    are empty now.

    The Dogwood, Crepe Myrtle,
    and Rose of Sharon
    are bare limbed.

    I stand at the window
    gazing at a world sleeping,
    waiting for the season to turn.

    The cat
    is laying in the sun
    by the window.

Dan Hardison


The Ravens Perch
February, 2024