Chap-books

The children began
reading chapter-books
On their way
To the full thing
It was a new word
In our vocabulary.
At age 65
We have finally
Figured it out.
As I write chap-books
I realize
What I am writing.
These are books
Which can be swallowed
One gulp
At a time.

Turkey feather

My brother laid a turkey feather
At the grave
Of our great grandfather
A fitting remembrance,
The turkey left it there
As well
A fitting remembrance
It seems
The whole natural world
Remembers him.
I am grateful
For remembering
The turkey feather
The flowers
My brother
Now me.

Fireflies

He jumps for fireflies
The fox
We don't know
If he is successful
At the task
We pursue
Summer fireflies
They light up the jar
If we are successful
In our task.
Do we want to succeed?
Would we rather watch them
Blinking
Blinking
Blinking
Uneaten
Uncaught
In the twilight.

Nest

The sparrows remind me
There are other places
To build nests.
The front bushes
Where the cat and I
Can watch them
Unawares
See the beginning
Of babies
The chirp
Of their parents.
Listen to the background
Of mourning doves.

Little libraries

While we wait
For the libraries
To re-open
Little libraries
Offer possibilities
In front of our neighbor's houses
We consider offering books
That others
Might enjoy
Leaving books
For them.

Ivory bill

The ever elusive ivory bill gone missing.

The ivory bill
Has gone missing
In the cypress swamps
Of the South
Yet still
We keep looking
He may appear
She may appear
Again
So many years
Yet still
We keep looking
We look for one ivory bill
Though there have
To be two
If there is one
Even a nest
Even an egg
Maybe
One solitary ivory bill
In the cypress swamps
Of the South.

Flocks

 This is the way it is. I hear the bleating in the distance.

I have left
So many flocks behind
I hear them still
Whether we talk
Or not.
I hear them still.
Some safely graze
Some have moved
To pastures
I cannot know.
This is always the way of it.
Always the way.
Some sheepfolds have been emptied
Even torn down.
The sheep have moved on.
I have moved on
As well.
Sometimes
I get to say goodbye.

Commence

Commence
It's almost time
To commence
Soon enough
We will begin again.
This time it will be
From a new place.
In a different order.
We will march
From our homes
In masks and gowns
Commence
It's almost time.

Black squirrel

We now have a black squirrel
Appeared out of
Who knows where
Plays easily
With the standard grays,
They're all the same
Which of course
They are.
It's really
Just a fur difference

Let it go

It is not time
To add more
To my plate
To say
Why Oh Lord
Can I not have more
Must I be content
With what I have
Already?
Let it go
Let it go
Let it go
Amen.
 

Waves of pink

The crab apple
Blows waves of pink
In the back yard
Of course the wind
Helps
Still
The crab apple
Is what I see
The wind
Blows invisible
Except for the trees.

Pay attention

When the world turns
Upside down
And it seems
My part is
To take a sabbatical
See rhe world
From a different angle
Breathe
See the redbud
Out the front
The crab apple
Out the back
Breathe
Hear the cardinal
Out the front
The buzzy bird
Out the back
(I wish I knew
The buzzy bird's name)
When the world turns
Upside down
Like now
I take a sabbatical
Watch the trees bloom
Listen to the birds
Sing.
Pay attention
Breathe.

A good beginning

Through the bedroom window
The redbud
An occasional small bird
Green and yellow
Identity unknown
A woman on rhe sidewalk
Across the street
Blue umbrella
Dog in a raincoat
Today
Yet to be determined
Still
A good beginning.

If you had your way

30 years ago
I led a Bible study
And a certain gentleman
And yes
He was a gentleman
A bit curmudgeonly
But still
A gentleman
Looked me square
In the eye
Said
If you had your way
You'd empty hell
Yes, of course,
I said.
I wonder what he would say
Now.

Buzz

Morning birds.

The cardinal is unmistakable
In looks
And song
Still
The twitter
With a buzz at the end
Remains out of sight
A mystery.
I imagine
It is small.

View out back

My recliner gives me a good view out the back window. 
  
A bird crosses left to right
Now right to left
I wait for the next crossing

There it is.