​POETRY  - 
       With the Theme of Dreams    
          
"First bloomer each spring
delicate white flowers
      spreading sweet promise."   
                          Photo by Weebly.com                           

Ritual for a Wild Plum
by M J Moore

​​​Last week’s windstorm split
our glorious wild plum.
First bloomer each spring,
delicate white flowers
spreading sweet promise.
The arborist methodically cut, sawed,
and ground the stump,
scattering chips over the scarred soil.
 
In our pilgrimage to the nursery,
we slowly pace the rows.
So many beauties from which to choose.
Among hardy young apples and pears,
a proud and spindly wild plum.
 
In the yard’s stubborn clay,
we rock the pitchfork,
swing the shovel from hole to mound,
bend over and over, lifting out years
of compacted dirt, tangled roots.
Reverently, we unswaddle the sapling,
settle it in fresh earth,
stake and water it.
 
All night, my aching arms and back
repeat the ritual in sleep.
I dream of hooded maidens circling
as my toes plunge into soft soil,
feel their way along subterranean paths.
My legs twine into sturdy trunk,
my arms sprout branches that stretch,
a white crane lifting tapered wings
against the indigo sky.
 
Between the leaves, moonlight
illuminates a sacred world. 
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​MJ Moore lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her various incarnations have included technical writer and editor, farm apprentice, environmental activist, teacher, poet, wife, and mother. As a bicoastal being, she thrives on salt air, wind and waves, but also loves mountains, deserts, forests and streams. Writing for her is a source of vision and joy. Her book of poems, Topography of Dreams, was published by Blue Light Press in December 2020.
Other works in this issue:
Poetry: 
​Ode to My Snooze Alarm
​Penumbra
Photo Essay - Unexpected:
Neighborhood Whimsey

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Vistas & Byways Review is the semiannual journal of fiction, nonfiction and poetry by members of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at San Francisco State University​.​
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​Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at San Francisco State University (OLLI at SF State) provides communal and material support to theVistas & Byways  ​volunteer staff.