Snowdrops near
Nod to peony —
Both born again
After novae,
After nebulae,
After black holes —
To blossom
In mountain galaxies.
A hint of pepper’s sting,
A feathery touch
Of primrose,
Tease as I lift the lid.
My jar of penstemon honey,
Gold as pine resin,
Is milk of stars.
Robert Walton
Robert Walton retired from teaching after thirty-six years of service at San Lorenzo Middle School. He is a lifelong rock climber and mountaineer with ascents in Yosemite and Pinnacles National Park. He’s an experienced writer with published works including historical fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and poetry. His Civil War novel Dawn Drums won the 2014 New Mexico Book Awards Tony Hillerman Prize for best fiction. Most recently, his “Mansa Musa’s Wisdom” was published in Cricket Media’s February, 2022 issue of Spider magazine.