July 24, 2008 by Melanie Alberts.

Trains, trains, trains, Every half hour it seems, a train rolls through downtown Hanford, its characteristic horn blaring for at least a minute. Our hotel is right by the tracks and the first couple of nights I woke up twice to the horns at two and four a.m. The first morning I took out the Yellow Pages and circled all the other hotels in Hanford. I knew from my husband’s internet research that finding a hotel with a pool and king beds with a complimentary breakfast wouldn’t be easy, so we stayed. We’ve been here four nights now and I’ve stopped waking during the night. While across the street at the Artworks Cafe I listened to a train blare through while paying for our drinks. “Not another train,” I muttered and the girl who served us looked quizzical. “A lot of trains come through Hanford,” I said.

“I don’t hear them any more,” she said. “I’ve lived here all my life and worked here for six years but I don’t hear them.”

I told her that they’ve stopped waking me every night and yes, I probably notice them less now, too.

“You’re in the Comfort Inn across the street?” she almost whispered, an expectant look upon her face. I nodded, taking in her look as if I were about to barrage her with complaints, but I didn’t. If I were staying longer I might try to keep count of the trains coming and going but we’re packing up tomorrow, leaving this train stop town in the valley, the incessant tones of a train in our ears.

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July 23, 2008 by Melanie Alberts.

your 40th birthday–
a bear ignores the wall
of sequoia on his path

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July 18, 2008 by Melanie Alberts.

I knew it would happen. After writing and posting everyday in April my usual output would fade, needing a vacation from my blog or journal. I compensate with writing more at work, press releases and now grants. I’m not really lazy, I tell myself. I mean, I think the poetry every day but just don’t write it down. It was what I was like as a child. I have so many memories of saying things and older people smiling and friends shaking their heads. I One of the reasons I wanted to try blogging was to force myself to write more regularly. Then joining a writing critique group helped a lot. Having a deadline is always good. So, today I am making a promise to post at least twice a week with the goal of writing at least a poem a week. To be not really concerned about the quality of the poem or the lack of comments, but just because I enjoy thinking about poetry and playing with the words on the page. Below is a tanka I wrote while in Maui early this month. I wrote some and thought hundreds more…sort of like watching the sea turtles by our condominium. You’d see a head come up here and there but never really know how many were below the wildly crashing waves.

sea turtles
catching their breaths
in Napili cove–
a deep taste of salt
in my throat

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