Tourists flock to Vermont in summertime, seeking cool mountain air, green vistas, photogenic barns & cows. This has been a part of the country where change comes slowly. Those nostalgia moments are clearly at risk, thanks to climate change. July has been the wettest season on record, and dozens of towns and residents are still digging out from catastrophic flooding.

As a poet, I’m still sorting out a creative response to toxic rivers, closed beaches, piles of debris & ruined belongings lining the streets of our state capital of Montpelier. Attending fund-raising concerts feels woefully lame, but I’ve done that a few times. Sent donations to local public health groups. My immediate surroundings are soggy but safe. I have family responsibilities that limit my volunteer hours. Today I’m choosing to work where I feel called — updating my author website, featuring the PoemCity haibun that was delightfully displayed in Minikin toy shop in Montpelier for the month of April. Which is supposed to be the rainiest month.