Opinion & Letters to the Editor

Unaffiliated voters ready for primary
Opinion

Unaffiliated voters ready for primary

April 24, 2022

Unaffiliated voters in Colorado just dodged a bullet. A group of Republicans recently filed a lawsuit (Parable v. Griswold) in federal court to block us from voting in the upcoming…

And Then the Lights
Opinion

And Then the Lights

April 23, 2022

We sit in the darkness Long after the credits have started to roll Telling ourselves we’re curious About who played what part How many parts Peter actually played Where such…

Ouzel
Opinion

Ouzel

April 22, 2022

Water colored bird Swims icy river riffle Alights on wet stone Sarah Kelly Durango

Goose Island
Opinion

Goose Island

April 22, 2022

Patient mother; On your grass island in the middle of the river. How can you know? That the eggs beneath you harbor life. Protective mother; Never straying from the nest.…

Talk with officials about climate change
Opinion

Talk with officials about climate change

April 22, 2022

There are many different solutions to address our changing climate. The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report shows we must take meaningful action now if we want to…

Seasonal Haikus
Opinion

Seasonal Haikus

April 20, 2022

The long legged calf Scrambles over to mother “I need my milk NOW” February 7 Coyote in the snow Running across empty field Stops to check us out July 31…

Never Knew How Much Love Could Hurt
Opinion

Never Knew How Much Love Could Hurt

April 20, 2022

I never knew how much love could hurt you until I found myself crying in the shower over someone I didn’t even date, I couldn’t even look at myself in…

Great Blue Heron
Opinion

Great Blue Heron

April 18, 2022

Heavy steel river twisting slowly past. Sharp edged snow hissing down. In grey silence, neck pulled down, stiletto beak shrouded by ominous hunched shoulders, He stands like a one-legged sinister…

Water skiing
Opinion

Water skiing

April 18, 2022

Water skiing fast speeding quickly through the wake right behind the boat Lucas Bosmans Durango

City spending ‘serves no purpose’
Opinion

City spending ‘serves no purpose’

April 18, 2022

Our Durango City Council continues their reckless spending. If these people would focus their efforts toward necessary projects instead of feel-good frivolous ideas, they could actually do some good for…

All for Peanuts
Opinion

All for Peanuts

April 18, 2022

Second most intelligent bird on earth Puffing feathers displaying girth Rancos caw, called out to me From atop a tall spruce tree Throw me peanuts, I’ll fly down You’ll recognize…

Is Anything Real?
Opinion

Is Anything Real?

April 17, 2022

Oh, what a tangled web we weave Doing our best to deceive, con artists aplenty Attracting get rich schemes galore Internet and smartphone gizmos and more used to implore. Some…

Haiku to Spring
Opinion

Haiku to Spring

April 17, 2022

Trees are leafing out Daffodils wave in the breeze Spring is here – achoo! Carol Simmons Durango

The Orchestra
Opinion

The Orchestra

April 17, 2022

The orchestra starts and the notes dart as the audience sways the notes play the basses start their solo continuing the song La Polo the audience stirs and the applause…

GOP ‘believes in autocratic rule’
Opinion

GOP ‘believes in autocratic rule’

April 16, 2022

While reading the story about the Republican gathering of the lunatic fringe in Colorado Springs, I had to fight off the tears of laughter as each speaker floundered in their…

Sweet Sound
Opinion

Sweet Sound

April 16, 2022

Sweet sound of music fills the air it does everywhere you can hear the sound of the violin play but you can hear the whole orchestra play sweet songs that…

Herald ‘mischaracterizes’ Florida law
Opinion

Herald ‘mischaracterizes’ Florida law

April 15, 2022

The Herald’s predisposition for left-wing causes has actually gotten worse lately. Saturday’s editorial cartoon about “Don’t Say Homo” with a caricature of Ron DeSantis is a case in point. Leftist…

A Poem Starts
Opinion

A Poem Starts

April 15, 2022

Friction of pencil on paper Sets it all in motion. Dry scraping sound Uncovers worlds locked in silence. Until the scraping starts There’s no form; there’s nothing. The scraping is…

Mountain Muses
Opinion

Mountain Muses

April 13, 2022

It is the dawn breaking over their peaks That shimmers the morning’s glory in glowing valleys. Mountains, as poets, often speak in cloud stanzas, Seducing my emotions and binding me…

Rocky Mountain Hike
Opinion

Rocky Mountain Hike

April 13, 2022

Resting On a granite slab left by a retreating glacier At the shallow edge of an alpine lake. Scents of spruce and fir mingle With the harsh complaint of a…

Teach kids ‘differences okay’
Opinion

Teach kids ‘differences okay’

April 13, 2022

As a pastor and parent, I was disturbed to read in The Durango Herald (April 8) that a state Social Studies Review Committee has decided to recommend banning any reference…

Who Are You?
Opinion

Who Are You?

April 13, 2022

Who are you my friend? A person with a good heart? Someone who will care? If so, go for it. See what happiness you bring. When speaking aloud. Let fear…

Chaco Canyon
Opinion

Chaco Canyon

April 13, 2022

It’s breezy in Nageezi, down a lonely, dusty road. Ancient Great Houses anchored to the earth, resting under blankets of sand and sage. They count the millennia as the earth…

Reuse rallying cry: ‘Lock him up’
Opinion

Reuse rallying cry: ‘Lock him up’

April 13, 2022

Back in the 2016 campaign between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, a big deal was made of Clinton’s missing emails. The right’s rallying cry was “lock her up.” Fast forward…

Spring Haiku
Opinion

Spring Haiku

April 11, 2022

Winter bared branches bud in tender green. Pear trees burst into white froth. Judy Clifford Bayfield

Put parking garage in ‘big old hole’
Opinion

Put parking garage in ‘big old hole’

April 11, 2022

So, with all the quibbling over lack of parking downtown, there’s a big old hole to nowhere (you know, the one across from Gazpachos). Put a parking garage there. Problem…

I Dream of a World
Opinion

I Dream of a World

April 10, 2022

I dream of a world where birds look down on a green earth, blue and green meshing harmoniously I dream of a world where the labyrinth leads us to peace…

Perhaps Love
Opinion

Perhaps Love

April 10, 2022

Your words were thoughtless and hurtful, The tone of your voice sharp and cruel Your embarrassing tirade was childish, Only making you look like a fool What happened to make…

Show Me You Are Real
Opinion

Show Me You Are Real

April 9, 2022

Cacti, Irises, Skyrockets blossoms finessed by hummingbirds. Ashamed to invade this most ancient play. Something eternal as I finger a white bone cleansed by decay. Lengthening, a Snake travels among…

My Son
Opinion

My Son

April 9, 2022

They folded the flag. I remember you falling from your bicycle. You got up. I remember. They folded the flag in front of me. I remember you on the football…