Donna Hilbert: Two Poems

On My Morning Walk I Think of Frost

I walk out to see the sun come up,
but wind is howling cold.
I turn back toward home and find
the orange moon instead.
The foothills burn, the moon is full
and risen, overhead.
The other coast is under siege
of pounding snow and ice.

Fire and ice, ice and fire.
I’m loathe to say much more
of fear, of loss, and of desire.
It’s all been said, or sung, before.

~~

Walking the Beach, I think of Mr. Emerson

“I don’t care what I see outside. My vision is within!
Here is where the birds sing! Here is where the sky is blue!

— E.M. Forster


I wish it were so with me,
but I do need A Room with a View
and also a walk on the beach,
where terns and all manner
of gulls swarm and squawk,
where pelicans fly in
to dive for breakfast,
and herons patiently wait.

If grace walks with me,
I might spot a dolphin or two,
or a shark surfacing for a moment,
and the purse of my heart
will widen with wonder enough
to hold fast another day.

~~~

Copyright 2025 Donna Hilbert

“On my Morning Walk…” was first published in Eclectica.
“Walking the Beach…” was first published in ONE ART.