Day Lilies

Michael Dickel

Restoring orange to a thing
of beauty, not that stained skin
out to spread its poison to us all—
the bright flowers, daily lilies
set in complementary green,
still soothe, their spirit breathing
more gently than night settles around us—
this sunset also a dawn color.

Day Lilies
photograph
©2018 Jerry Ingeman
used by permission

Star Dust

Michael Dickel

We are so small between the stars, so large against the sky
—Leonard Cohen, Stories of the Street

I want to travel between the stars,
lost among the planets amid
galaxies unknown. I want to meet
beings beyond my understanding,
until my understanding grows—
and to be humbled by how small I am
in the Universe, no matter how much
I think I may know or how important
I think I may be. I want to be reminded
that I am dust floating in a vacuum.

Star Dust
digital landscape from photos
©2018 Michael Dickel