Solitude

Posted on April 4, 2015 by katemccarrollmoore

Sky, the color of steel,

More winter than spring

Releases a torrent of rain

To pound on the roof

And remind me

Of sorrows past

 

Rain pounding on the roof

And I am all alone

Posted in napowrimo | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Pre-season

Posted on April 3, 2015 by katemccarrollmoore

moon on scoreboard

Pre-season

In the topmost seats of the stadium

nestled under a blanket

in the dark

We watch and wait

A crack of the bat

sends Posey’s ball over the fence

while the blood moon rests

atop the flashing scoreboard

And a lone seagull soars

Posted in #baseball @SFGiants, napowrimo | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Haiku in the Quad

Posted on April 3, 2015 by katemccarrollmoore

Culturefest at school

Rock with an Indian beat

Girls sing in saris

Posted in napowrimo | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Wake up call

Posted on April 1, 2015 by katemccarrollmoore

Wake Up Call

The routine sameness of the drive to work.

Sorting through the day ahead.

This, then that, this, then that

 

Next to me, great blue heron

Gliding along, matching me mile for mile

Startles me back into a bigger life, waiting.

Posted in napowrimo | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Drumbeat: A Poem written to commemorate the installation of Karen Sakata as Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools

Posted on January 8, 2015 by katemccarrollmoore

Karen Sakata is sworn in as the Contra Costa County superintendent of schools outside of the Contra Costa County Office of Education

A new day dawns

A new era begins

This day, today

Built on a vision of kindness and civility

Passed from hand to hand, heart to heart

Past becomes future, a rhythmic drumbeat,

Carried on each heartbeat

Student by student by student

Today we hear the drumbeat

Of Respect

Of Integrity

Of Diversity

Of Teamwork

Of Ethical Leadership

Of Creativity and Innovation

Of Advocacy for all learners

The persistent advocacy of education that matters for one, for all

Passed from hand to hand, heart to heart,

Teacher to teacher, drummer to drummer, leader to leader

Here and now

Karen Sakata, your moment is our moment

From there to here, you’ve traveled well

Following your passion with strength and compassion

Listening loudly to each child in need

Lifting the spirit, spreading the word

Drumbeat by drumbeat, heartbeat by heartbeat,

Walking the true path and leading with love

Photo credit: Susan Tripp Pollard, Bay Area News Group

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

GRATITUDE BOWLS. FILL WITH KIND THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS.

Posted on January 2, 2015 by katemccarrollmoore
More Galleries | Leave a comment

Let There Be Light

Posted on November 30, 2014 by katemccarrollmoore

When the lights go out, there is only darkness
Cold and empty, empty space
at first
But slowly, ever so slowly,
the lights come on again
one by one,
powered by memory and ritual and reminders
that live on in others –
that laugh, those eyes, that way of being
passed from one to the other through the years

Tonight we celebrate what was, what is, what will be
The lasting gift of forever that shines through the darkness
The spirit of love that lives on and on and on and on
represented by a string of lights,
ever connected,
one light to one light to our light together

Posted in hospice, poetry, tree lighting | Leave a comment

Amador

Posted on October 20, 2014 by katemccarrollmoore

The City of San Ramon opened its 58th park this weekend. Here’s the poem read at the celebration.

Look around,
the vast rolling hills
are changing right before our eyes
So hard to imagine what’s there
when we roll back the years

Can you picture it?
These hills that we call ours, belonged to someone else, long ago
The land calls out a litany of names
Bernal, Norris, Fallon,
Fremont, Vallejo, Harlan,
Dougherty
They claimed this valley floor that we call home

Among the rest stood a man of action called Amador,
living large on the land, before lending his name to this beautiful place
a settlement at the crossroads of time and history
built in this wild open space where we now stand,
ready to call it our own

The future is ours as we gather
to commemorate the past
while we celebrate community
and dedicate this glorious park
built on our dreams for our children
Here they can play and laugh and grow strong
And know that everything old is new once again

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Dig

Posted on September 9, 2014 by katemccarrollmoore

Today is a groundbreaking ceremony for the new San Ramon City Center. Here is the poem I’ll be reading at the ceremony.

Sacred ritual, this breaking of the ground
Shovel poised and ready
To turn a little bit of earth over
Under blue skies and Diablo’s watchful eye
A ceremonial promise to our children made here today

As dormant field gives way to fertile new life
Becoming hardscape heartspace,
Holding nature’s green space,
Growing vibrant, San Ramon’s City Center
Poised proudly on the edge of the future

We embrace words spoken solemnly
Proclaiming this moment momentous
This small mound of earth bearing witness to
The transformative power of community,
The communal power of our groundbreaking rite.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

To Be Free

Posted on July 4, 2014 by katemccarrollmoore

This morning I awoke to birdsong
A gentle breeze, cloudless bluesky day
Stretched out before me like an ocean
Vacation day,
All mine, to do as I please

I drop into a lounge chair
Pick up my book
War, imprisonment, starvation, cruelty
Greed, suffering, all the light we cannot see
People trapped in lives they did not choose
Fiction told in these pages I hold

The newspaper’s filled with the same
Story after true story after true story
All around the world
But not here
Not where I live and work and love and breathe freely
Not where I wave my flag listening to patriotic cries of horn and drum
Not here

This day is a gift
This freedom that I have, you have, we have
To be cherished and revered and kept sacred
To give thanks for on the 4th of July, yes
And to remember tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next
To be free is the greatest gift of all

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment