Diane Funston

Atmospheric River

Walking in Northern California rain,
snug under a plastic poncho
I’m bothered neither by wet nor wind.
Brave dogs at my side,
we straddle puddles and gutters
to get our daily exercise
despite downpours ten days out.
Our snowpack is secure
after years of drought and dust.
Forecast calls for “Atmospheric River”,
the latest in dramatic terms
to excite the media-addicted sedentary class.
I continue my walk, tree limbs wave,
our pace reflected in standing water.

Diane Funston writes poetry of nature and human nature. She co-founded a women’s poetry salon in San Diego, created a weekly poetry gathering in the high desert town of Tehachapi, CA and most recently has been the Yuba-Sutter Arts and Culture Poet-in-Residence for the past two years. It is in this role she created Poetry Square, a monthly online venue that features poets from all the world reading their work and discussing creative process. Her first chapbook, Over the Falls, was published in 2022 by Foothills Publishing. Diane is also a visual artist in mosaic, wool felting, and collage.