turning over

in a few hours from now
we move ahead
one into another
celebrating with friends
cheering those near
dear
afar
in anticipation of bright
beaming
eighteen

here's hoping

strummings

guitar chords threading from below
lucky and blessed to be
serenaded

cicles

ice on the tendrils
ice on the windowsills
ice on the bird feeder
ice on the outtake valves
ice on the walk
ice on the driveway
icy icy
minus thirty
ice

solstice day/night

a little late in switching on lights
many bulbs long gone
some crafty maneuvering
less becomes more
riding home today on the 94
reminded that we are all passengers
making our way with whatever means
a silver swan ornament is spinning
reflecting
tinkling
on this the longest night
sunset 16:16

5 on 95th Street

a tittering of magpies
and tiny flakes are falling
a little quiet in between
the bustling

slumbers

some nights
tucked in
a kitten falls asleep
on your feet
and in the moment
all is well

the twelfth of the twelfth

warm and windy
water running off the roof
dripping eaves
five magpies tittering
a spruced up bluejay
sunset 4:14
counting down to the solstice
a bit of symmetry this tuesday
12.12.17

december late afternoon

4:27 pm
the sun soon setting
the sky awash in pink
slight breeze
not officially winter
but winter
still
bathed in soft pastel light

lost in translation

the little Blue Jay was busy in the dogwood this morning
flitting from branch to branch
with lots of things to say
chirping at me
squawking at me
some messages that just needed relaying
I listened for awhile as she talked at me
before she flew away

I guess I'll never know
what was so pressing
(although I might hazard a guess in the Age of Urgency)
maybe that's a goal for the New Year:
to become fluent in Blue Jay

flickering

a light went out the other morning
a very grey day
in the season of light
hold tight the little ones
in the days weeks months
years to come
and remember
in the days weeks months
years to come
remember
with love

in a perfect world...

i'd like to think that the translucent lobster
and the 'Pepsi tattoo' lobster are cousins
that they somehow swim in the same gene pool
and one is like 'i'll take that hit for you, if you'll take that hit for me'
and then somehow across the miles and knots and furlongs they figure it out and strike
a deal

that one gets to be nearly see through while the other is branded by waves of cola

i like to think that they negotiate it amongst themselves before surfacing
banded with elastics and ushered into aquariums

i'd like to think a lot of things
some of them are true
some of them i can't think about too much or for too long
all of it swirling and swimming
swimming in my head

Monday kitchen trash inventory

• three eggshells
• coffee grounds coffee grounds coffee grounds
• radish tops and greens
• avocado pit and skins
• tissues and more tissues
• tea bags
• more coffee grounds
• leftover tortellini with puttanesca sauce
• spelunking with rubber glove to reveal silver blue glass inlay ring from London much cherished and given with love 20 years ago

thankful that the trash isn't collected til Tuesday

above zero

late November sighting on Terrace Road
on a sunny Saturday:
skateboard park bound dude
carrying his wheels and a shovel
when there's a will
there's a way
to carve out the way

ornamentals

so...
it might get a little long in the tooth
these coming days and weeks
with many more to come
sometimes a little serenading goes a long way
(just sayin)
yet one of the best prefestive spottings today
was no doubt a woman embarking from the bus
pushing on in the snow
her walker trimmed out with evergreen boughs
baubles and bells
ploughing ahead
decking the halls

illuminati

yards bearing miniature trains
parcels and wrapped gifts
inflatable penguins and snow people
elves and polar bears
pulsing green turning to red turning to green turning to...
single strands spiralling down strung on barren poplar branches
as minute by minute
we wind down into longer nights
this season of light
in the northern hemisphere
 

'stunned and skivvin'...

guilty
guilty as charged...

whisker lickins

i can't be sure
and was a bit afraid to get too close to check
but what looked like little tufts
of Santa's beard
were on the sidewalk leading to
the Humanities Centre
oh ho
oh no

lions and tigers and bears...

and elephants are fine where they are
(or at least they should be)
so let's leave them there
where
they
live

snow globe

someone out there
is shaking things up in a big way
frost upon frost upon frost
a little icing on the cake
of everything

hoar frost morning

all crystalline
branches
boughs
sidewalks

overcast afternoon
kitten asleep in the nest of warm sheets

a Sunday of swaddles

pica pica

the magpies are getting suited up
rustling into tuxedo jackets
for a long friday night on the town
that will no doubt
wind well into saturday morning

bathed in pink

slowly setting
larches in twilight
putting the day to rest
in a few weeks we'll head the other way
a little more light
bit by bit by bit

but for now this shroud
hours in the dark
comfort in the tranquility
wrapping around all that is still
silent

in the moment...

when a loved one is sleeping
and you find yourself ebbing and flowing with them
beaming
swooning
wrapping around
holding close
holding near
near and dear

that feeling you have...

when you are watching someone
and you know someone is watching you...

connecting the dots
of the irises...

under down

waking up to the blanket
the shroud of white
on branches
fence posts
sidewalks
flower pots

muffling
shushing
hunkering down

a bit of thaw and melt
dripping away
but mostly here to stay
for days
weeks
months to come

dive in and under
bundle and brace
embrace the bracing winds
coming our way

be

and then there are some days and nights
and nights and days and days
when you feel less settled
a little less anchored
a little more and a little less
you find yourself ebbing and flowing
waxing and waning
a little offshore
out to sea

and then something catches you
unexpectedly
a gesture
a phrase
a snippet of a song
an unexpected touch that resonates
reverberates
holds

and you hold onto that
to that and all that holds you dear
in the moment the minutes
the hours and days moving forward
and we're all in this
together
aren't we?

october on the 53rd parallel

feathered sky
golden birch
larches
elms

soft sun
ebbing
waning

preparing to tuck in
tuck us all in
under the blanket
soon and sure to come

for now the yellow, red and orange
what we hold fast
one day soon waking to
falling flakes and
white
white
white

but for now inhale
breathe deep
the colours
'turning golden
high upon the hill'

with a little help from friends
and neighbours

shoes

lots of them...
many many pairs
shoes and boots and shoes that look like boots and are kind of shoe/boots
people going in
people coming out
coming out with bags of shoes
many many shoes
hours and days
not how you usually measure shoes
but for the next several hours
and the next few days
many many shoes
who knew?
somebody knew
many seem to know
all about the shoes

Hanging on

the frost has nipped the impatiens
downed the geraniums
put the heliotrope, lantana and anemones to bed
but one single pansy continues to bloom
a flash of purple in the late October afternoon sun

10:25 dining table checklist

• sherbet green tape dispenser
• small vase with spent eryngium sprigs
• copy of Mapping Ideology
• Route 1 bus schedule
• molasses candy wrapper
• pretty much done lip balm container (heading into prime lip balm season)
• business cards
• tissues
• pencils
• various denominations of our curious plastic money 
• pencils (wooden and mechanical)
• notes to self
• notes to others
• a letter awaiting reply
• one snoozing 18 year old 'kitten'
• place settings for future dinner parties when all the work is done

sweet sparrow

yesterday morning a tiny bird flew into the window
landing on the pew below
sitting for a long while
barely moving
we checked on the bird from time to time
hoping for the best
near noon the pew was empty
the small one recovered
flown away
our hearts a little lighter
our day a little brighter

Frente

when the yolk gets posted...

late september inventory

CSA boots
gloves
white (semi) hard hat
clipboard
blue blue electric blue
perforated sheets
a shed of equipment and feathers
a foot missing a perch
one landed pigeon
one tenacious spider
365 cylinders...one for every day
a glorious golden day
many parts and many pieces
as we cog along

cue the dappled effect

shadows from the leaves of the aspen poplar
dance on the rug and across Frente's back
timeout to bask in the September sun
and holdfast to this autumn afternoon

polishing up the equinox

the geraniums are burnished
the quack grass is burnished
the sound of the bell signalling 'stop requested' on the bus is burnished
my new haircut is burnished
the strong smell of recently smoked pot lingering in the air on whyte ave is burnished
the giggle of the small girl in yellow rain boots is burnished
the last of the marigold blooms are burnished
waxing
waning
bright
burnished

tailings pond tally

horned larks and others
120 beaks
240 wings
songbirds silenced
fly away small ones
no safe landings here

Home again home again

Daisy the blind goat wasn't so much on the lamb
But off on a little adventure
Happily she was found and reunited with best friend Merlin the sheep
Sometimes thing turn out just fine
In the end

friends in corners

a spider in the entryway
a spider by the patio doors
a spider in the bathroom

web tenders all

i guess that says something about our housekeeping
and i'm glad it does
and that we share our space with so many spinners
so many weavers
so many nimble ones

hue

there is this colour in the sky today
tonight
and i don't quite know how to describe it

almost ochre but not so yellow
more like a wash of grey

everything bathed in sepia
filtering out the fires the storms the floods

i don't know how to be because i don't know how or what to feel in this light

but maybe this is the new normal
what we have to hold onto

still september
still in shifting september

late summer slumbers

warm breezy afternoon
soft light on the flowerpots
someone snoozing beside me
the gifts of September

in the ether

a hot and still Wednesday
as summer winds down
and flitting about freely
a single lemon moth

I'll be sure to remember you
one afternoon in January

integral elements

the name for a computer program
generating poetry
(in dreams)
and also something to do with algebra

9/1

warm wishes on a cloudy day
and another trip around the sun
xo

a visitor

the tiniest of tiny red spiders dancing across my computer screen
nice inspiration for weaving...

wednesday morning

yellow finches flitting on the mountain ash
the soft light of a golden haze
as august wends away

a little wish...

safe, soft landings for everyone

enterprising

nice people at the rental return office today
not so sure about the wee pet bunny they let snack and hop around in the parking lot
maybe the mascot of wayward travellers?
the fluffy hunbun of beckwith

the crows of cordova

waves upon waves upon waves
a bit higher but not much above us all
however taut and bright
and tattered and torn our wings
fanning of feathers
all of us

goodnight

sweet dreams to the little robin
perched on the fence at Sea Side
fly away small one
and nest in peace

Monday in Victoria

bay leaves
fig tree
hydrangea
grapefruit
lemons
green peppers
thyme
plums
island excursions
eclipsing with friends
dear dear friends
lovely light
lighting the world

hazy afternoon

pulling up overgrown grasses
trimming the hedge
weeding under a filtered sky
when suddenly above
a blanketed passing of crows
seldom so many seen together in the city
here and gone
like this summer day

hearts beat aquamarine

pulsing for peace and tranquility

sweet dreams

a few whiffles and snores
feline spooning
low whirls from the fan
you two set off before me
a few more whiffles
a few more snores
go on ahead
i'll catch up soon and meet you both
in the land of nod

seeps

two three pails of water
filtered through cedar
down from above
anenomes planted maybe too deep
flashy and showy up top
not so much sonar
down below
garlic about to give up
what is or wasn't was
cloves
bulbs
and all things candescent

sunday

after winds sheeting rain
lightning and hail
all is soft and quiet
a little breeze on the mountain ash
pipping calls of a bluejay
the slowness of a still day
in a summer passing by
too quickly

backyard bounding

okay...okay...so this is how it is today...sunny then clouds and clambering...dark dark and pelting down and I'm gonna sit here under the dogwood for awhile until this passes and then I'm off!  rounding the raspberries and the gazebo and the broken pots until wait: what's this?  Munchmunchmunch...this is some good stuff...and maybe over here by the gazania said except there aren't any gazanias anymore because I guess I ate them yesterday...and maybe the day before and the day before that...but anyway:  look over here!  More stuff and anyway...gotta go...the sun is coming out and there's lots that needs munching...see ya on the lawnigans...
Xo yumbun

thunder skies

dark and rumbling
building up all afternoon
cloud upon cloud upon cloud
the front moving in on one of many
barking dog days
of summer

buzzing bees ride the waves of sea holly

fly on in little striped friends
and nestle into the land of blue blue
electric blue
a bumper year for eryngium
busting out all over
get busy
do your dancing
loud enough for others to hear
more than enough for everyone
this economy has wings

the last of the seventh

grey and now hazy
a bit of a breeze
day lilies in bloom
the passing jewels of july

today in banff

drifting across the miles
over borders
into mountain parks
where there's smoke...
where there's smoke...
where there's smoke...

nocturnal peaks

tucking in beneath
the shadow of the three sisters
feelings of elation and smallness in the mountains
all of us so minuscule
as we pass through

the sky here today...

weirdly grey and green
haze from all the forest fires in BC
a shroud over everything
on a cloudless day

breaking the rules

somedays
when it is very hot outside
and not much cooler in
things go a bit off the rails

stripping down and padding around
in small clothes
doing whatever needs to be done
to beat the heat

and maybe even lounging a little
on a cool tabletop
in the path of a fan

on a sultry summer day
all bets are off

in the air on Wednesday

the rhythmic bouncing of a basketball
the rustling of leaves
a persistent blue jay
children yelling
children laughing
a yawning kitten
swaying grasses
chirping squirrels

the stillness of a summer afternoon

and the daisies are already beginning
to nod on down for the season
stay with us won't you?
just a little while longer
let's enjoy this
while it lasts

afternoon electric

ribbons of oscillating air
and notes wafting up the stairs
an overcast saturday
'where i will live...
blue blue
electric blue'

melting 2/melting too

the ice in my glass is melting
greenland is melting
the arctic is melting
antarctica is melting
a plastic mailbox in arizona is melting
the pavement in india is melting
all over

all over
temperatures are rising
rising all over

but love is
as always
love

and hearts around the world
are melting

drop anchor

nestle right into that pot on the patio
the one in the shade
between the heliotrope and the nasturtiums
the sun is beating down
and the humidex is climbing
tuck in for as long as you want
maybe even a little afternoon snooze
lulled by robins
as they serenade you

bunny buffet

mmm...munchmunchmunch...
the thing to do is to plant yourself and then get started...
just nestle into one of the pots and get down to business...
not in any particular order...just hunker in and nose on down...
portulaca...gazania...a few pansies...
and maybe lavatera...wait:  no lavatera?
i guess we ate that already...
oh well...more of other stuff where that came from
how nice of these guys to plant so many of my favourites
so pretty and tasty...
munchmunchmunchmunchmunch

the little friday

• house swabbins
• attention paid to cacti and succulents on irregular watering schedules
• head shaking at news of the world
• determination to shake off residue of head shaking from news of the world
• EFE music played on BBC 6...!!!  vive le tour
• paper planes in liquid glory
• late night art hanging party
• dreaming and scheming

what about you?

xo

arachnida

spiders...
spider in the basement by the floor drain
in the bathtub
in the recycling bag
in the box of kitty litter
spiders in the sun
in the shade
in the Volkswagen rabbit
spiders in the garage
in the begonias
inside
outside

always around as I begin a new project
preparing to spin and weave
my friends
the spiders

summertime in the city

a hot day makes for
grinchy kitten squints
no fun for some
in their fur suits
harrumph

news of the world

been reading the last few days about the heat
and the hot hot weather south of here
how airplanes have been grounded
flights cancelled because it's too hot to fly
the air is dense and the planes need longer runways in preparation
for takeoff

and today a warning to pet owners
don't walk your dogs outside because the pavement could be
160 degrees
and I wonder if not now when do we get busy
get serious and take action

that may all be south of here
but aren't we in this together?

grounded

the count is temporarily suspended
on hold
time for a little
time out
it seems robins don't like to fly
in such gusty winds

flightpaths

the trick in mowing the backyard
will be how to cut wide swaths
to wind and wend and navigate
around all the daisies

and there are many daisies

play making

all the letters
that add up to words
that form monologues
that shape dialogues
that put flesh to bone
and the breath and spirit
that brings it all into being
how we come together
to bring it into being

a little inspiration

some time today spent
gardening in the rain
pink geraniums
dusty millers
and marigolds nestling the garlic
scape tops not yet curling

chilly
muddy
messy gloves
but comforting in a quiet wet way

and happy to have a respite
however long it lasted
but even then not too annoyed to see them
because really how bossy and defiant
do you have to be
to be a mosquito in the rain?

labouring

and some days encouraging news
from another place halfway
away
like maybe things are headed in another direction
not immediately but incrementally
looking ahead with higher hopes
a brighter vision
for the many
not the few

home again home again

and then after several days
it is time to return
to newly blooming lavatera
dandelions on the lawn
a dry heat
a welcoming nuzzling kitten
and the wish that everyone wends their way
safe
sound

Grace Street now and then

a dog at a distance
an energetic kick of a soccer ball
a friendly exchange
stone lions and swans
what was once home to my dad and aunt
so many years ago

birdsong

the ones with wings are very busy this afternoon
here on Willcocks Street
the air is soft and lovely

in the dirt

begonia, begonia, begonia
fuschia
lantana
heliotrope
lavatera
African daisy
licorice plant
ornamental kale
impatiens
something that looks like coleus that I don't remember the name of
dahlias
begonia, begonia, begonia

chittering

and the baby squirrel high up on the trunk of the mugo pine is like
'yeah!  so what?  what about it?'
and we're like 'well, sure.  good for you.
just don't let the magpies hear you talkin like that.'
and the baby squirrel is all 'magpies, crows---bring 'em on!'
and we're like 'okay, see you around baby squirrel.'
and the squirrel continues on its way to shimmy up the tree
just barely taking care not to trip over
all that attitude.

auditory interpretations

a kitten sneezing
or
a roof cracking

my drums to yours

nocturnal visitor

and in the last moments of reading
before nodding off to sleep
a tickle
a travel
of eight little legs
on the back of a hand
as one wee spider went wending its way

a little encouragement for the task ahead
the challenge of weaving

beginning

getting started is always
the hardest part
not knowing exactly where or how to
begin
and so you tell yourself things
like
maybe not today
maybe tomorrow or the next day or the day after that
that what you need is a little more
time
time to plan
time to consider
time to think and figure things out
and then there comes a day when you wake up and think
maybe it's time to step out of the way
to stop yourself from stopping
that today is a day like and unlike any other
and maybe as good a day as any to just
begin

breezing

a windy day
when all the butterflies are busy
flitting and fluttering their wings
stirring up breezes to lift us up
and into all the brightness
that we know however deep down and buried
silently steadily embers
with promise and possibility
for all

flitter and fly on
butterflies

the greening

and overnight it shifts
with the help of a few raindrops
the move away from brown and into blooming
the branches are still sparse
but tipped with what were buds
now tiny leaves
and it reminds me why May is my favourite month here
a month promising longer sun filled days to come
and how quickly things change
and how much there is to hold
and hold dear

cinco

bus driver in a hockey jersey
chickadee songbook
smokers outside the hospital
a packed out patio
warm and breezy
hot and windy

the fifth of the fifth

sotto

the setting light
on the tips
of the tall spruce tops
across the way
remind me why May
is my favourite month
here
in this northern place

may day + 1

sometimes
things take just a little bit longer
they need a bit of breathing room
to gestate
grow
into what they will ultimately
become

so if may day didn't radically alter things
in your part of the world
take heart

things are revolving
evolving
slowly but surely

the bees are dancing and
the hive is buzzing

fluff dry/fluff on by arachnid

sometimes it's possible
to rescue the small ones
before they fall into harm's way

like a spider in the bathtub corner
(just leave it alone)
or one in the clothes dryer
while tossing in socks and t-shirts
(gently escorted elsewhere)

sometimes it's possible
to rescue the small ones
and sometimes it's not

better to think of all
the many possibilities

spring raking

apologies to all the ladybugs
disturbed
in the process

fly away
home

Leporidae

so many prints in the snow
up
down
all around
last blast of winter
turning bunnies
know when to run
when to run
and keep on running

April showers

silently falling
melting as it hits the ground
soon this white blanket
will be peeled away
laying only in memory
and May days

serenades

heard but unseen
robin songs
flowing down from treetops
as the fuzzer catnaps
the afternoon
away

tranquility

and then there are days when things
are perfectly
still

spongophoria

oceanographers have reported recent sightings of an elusive sea sponge with surprising attributes.  the  sponges tend to gather in clusters or 'bumpflets' at great depths surfacing only on full and new moons.  they are believed to exist on detritus and have been slowly but surely eroding the edges of the plastic vortex (also know as 'invading the invaders').  although fewer such sightings have been confirmed, the sponges are also known to have consumed vast quantities of petrol products and in the process glisten like rainbows on the waves.  scientists are continuing to study the sponges in the hopes that they may one day be cultivated and put to use on land soaking up grease, grime and greed:  euphoria for ophoria.

cygnus signals

so you find yourself walking down a street
a street very much like one you once lived by
it is both familiar and unknown to you
but feels welcoming as you cross the street
you walk into a little dip in the sidewalk
which leads to a wall
and you stand on your tiptoes to look over the wall
and looming large in the sky
like a bright white dirigible
is the neck and wing tips of a giant swan
and it takes your breath away
you decide to carry on with your journey
and make your way to a place where many people are meeting
not quite a celebration but a peaceful gathering of kindred spirits
you make your way through a room and towards a patio
because what you want more than anything is to return outside
for one more glimpse of that amazing swan
bathing the sky in soft white light and then
you wake up

spring snow

a brief return to winter
and a little reminder
that bit by bit
we are all
melting

lumbago checklist

• slow going
• more slow going
• almost sloth like going
• hot water bottles
• pillows of various shapes and sizes
• well positioned footstools
• slippers
• feline company
• electric acupuncture
• time for Time Out

last call at the lower lumbar

icy cold shots followed up by
steamy water bottles
of various shapes and sizes
oh how we love you
Lyle Lyle Crocodile

just when you wonder
'how the hell did we get into this anyway...?'
a little piercing jolt brings you back
as you struggle to pull yourself into wools and cottons
threading the needle that is now your contorted self

maybe jump starting a new fitness regime
(zero to Sixty)
wasn't the most brilliant idea after all
resurrecting a pair of decade old orthotics
into the flaneur mix up and down the Bar
and over drives
really really Over Drives

in the scheme of things this is nothing
a little blip on the radar

wake me up when the sonar signals
say it's okay to press on
business as usual
to bend down and pick up the kitten
for cuddles and kisses
just like any other day

streaming

on the limbs
and in the air
April blue jays
everywhere

spring on the 53rd parallel

dirt dirt dirt
and gravel everywhere
what was laid down in snowstorms
now in heaps and piles
empty cigarette packs and the odd beer can
butts butts butts
the tips of tulips and snowdrops
and tiny rabbit pellets
bamboo chime serenades
in early April breezing
all around more brown than green
but turning quickly

enjoying it all
for now
in this the transition
the gritty grimy in between

taraxacum

the dandelions will be up soon
splashing out here
there
everywhere
but don't go looking for them
in a box
on the page
or in your shading hand
they're being pulled for good
but lawn bouquets are here to stay
and weeds are just other kinds of flowers

1...2...

the annual count begins
and as long as there are robins...

a pair on the lam

two geese were hanging out
on the side of 109A Avenue
just sittin and chillin

a car drove by
stopped and stared

the geese stood and shuffled a little
before the car drove away

a little time out before moving on
rejoining the gaggle

and so it begins...

tea time today
and in the afternoon sun
on the kitchen counter by the honey jar
a little visitor:  the first ant of the year
surprisingly, a welcome surprise

just don't invite your friends...

and then one day...

you notice
that the blanket of snow has been pulled away
and that the sound carries differently...

airwaves of spring

getting the memo

someone should tell the wee white bunny
that temps are rising
drifts are melting
and soon she will be
may more visible

maybe just kick it up a notch
keep on hopping around
on all that newly exposed lawn
but prepare to flip
flip your coat
any day
now

for days

just when you thought
it wouldn't stop snowing
it did
and gave way to
the coming of spring
and tomorrow's celebration
of saintly green

clocks and calendars

it has been snowing
for what feels like days
slow constant
a steady stream of flakes
the tail end of winter
that won't let go

tomorrow we spring ahead
an hour closer to the Equinox
for now enjoying all that is falling
and white white white

in solidarity

in between purrs
Frente whispered that all the cats and kittens
around the world
are on strike today too
and then went back to sleep...

tallying

kitten shin side
electric pedals below
visioning the buoyant bunny duo in the afternoon
a loonie found
a loonie shared
homeward bound on the 94

below zero

some days the bus runs
behind schedule
a little later than usual
on its own schedule
negotiating drifts
rifts
and snowploughs
meaning you wait
and wait
and wait
until finally it comes
whenever it comes
it comes and you get on
that much warmer
and closer to moving on
all of us moving on
on our way

St David's Day

there was an abandoned bassinet in the snow today
parked by the curb on Whyte Avenue

hard to tell from my window seat on the bus
but I like to think it was full
full of leeks
and daffodils

today

a bull was on the run in Queens today
having escaped the slaughterhouse
chased around the neighbourhood
escaped and being chased

making a break for it
one last run around
on the run in Queens today
sometimes you just have to go for it
and go out blazing

Rx

• ginger tea
• honey
• tea tea tea
• water
• tissues LOTS of tissues
• cuddle time with the small sir swaddled under the mustard blanket
• fevered dreaming about planting potatoes
• knowing that in the scheme of things, these are small potatoes

in this light...

i can read without turning the overhead on

i see puddles on the street where in past years snow would have been

patches of lawn are visible...in some spaces brown...others green

news of the world is kind of surreal...unreal...fake?...or maybe just weird

things are both bright and muted...a little friendly duelling duo

in this light the days are getting longer

and maybe what we need right now

is a little more lightness

a little more brightness

a little more light

happy hour

the sky is awash with bellinis right now
pink
peach
pastel dreams

V day

cherry day
cinnamon day
gala apple day
radish day
blushed cheek day
stop sign day
tomato purée day
pileated woodpecker crest day
red flag day
beating hearts day
V day

urban feathering

magpie on Jasper
pigeons high above 101st
woodpeckers in Gold Bar
cosmopolitans perched
pecking
in flight

quiet now

end of its cycle
but minutes ago it was churning
sloshing washing watery splashes
on all sides
rhythmically doing the work
of many busy hands
glasses
cups
plates
cutlery
and now silence
except for the hum
drying the washing away

lumening

just a little bit each day
each day a little longer
each day a little brighter

sometimes
in the scheme of things
getting lost in busyness
getting lost in schemes
it's easy to lose sight
of the bigger picture
easy to lose sight and to lessen the hold
on all that is bright
and possible for tomorrow

so for now
at nearly 5 thirty on what was a sunny Sunday
i take comfort knowing that each day
the days are a little longer
that we're moving (however incrementally)
in the direction of light

bombycilla

on the tip top branches
of a cone laden spruce
yellow breasts in sun
a small museum of waxwings
softening the edges
feathering the dark
and then they flew away

meet you
meet you in the museum

February begins...

...on a quiet Wednesday afternoon
quiet except for the pileated Woodpecker
pecking away at the trunk of the poplar
persistent
rhythmic
crimson
a flash of red in winter
getting the job done

foliage

as long as there are trees
there will be branches
welcoming birds
to land on and nest in

all kinds of birds
from near and far
birds from all over

today tonight tomorrow

wild winds blowing today
bending the boughs of the tall pines
sirens echoing in the hood
as the day gives way to evening
a cacophony of pealing
and serenading coyotes
in the ravine
so much
too much
and not enough
listening
right now calm and hopefully more so
in hours
and days and days
to come
but i'll guess we'll see
what lights up
in the year of the Fire Rooster

standing up

time to get busy

feathering

soft bird shadows
cast on snow
and songs in the ether

Getting the word out from The Badlands

while some are silenced...

the purrs are very loud today

kitty beanie

a day with friends
reading
chatting
brainstorming
in the ongoing process of creation

a parting gift for me:
a hat knitted by my friend's mom

yesterday i wore a pinky/purple
floppy wooly beret
today i have a pussy cap

will wear it lovingly
as we march on
as we all march on

lilting

serenaded today
by the smallest of birds
what we need right now

more joy
more light
more songs

possibles

sitting at the table this morning
writing or beginning to write
there was a trill and twitter
from across the street
a flock high up in the elms
flittering and then off
in one sudden swoop
is it too early for waxwings?
maybe not
in a day of melting winter
welcome welcome little birds
sing us your songs

and then suddenly, it all makes sense

i wonder sometimes
at 2 or 3 in the morning
like 'what's up with you?'
'what aren't you sleeping?'
and then i think of times gone by
lovely memories
little tapas and times shared over
tasty meals
and then i think
'okay!  why wouldn't you want that?'
why wouldn't you say---'wake up you guys
dish it up to me!'
and so in a few hours from now
i'll shuffle out from under the duvet
down the hall
find some treats in the cupboard
get you settled
and drift off back to the land of nod
where plates are spinning high in the air on long rods
plates
but small plates
enough for everyone

soundscape

sirens
on a sunny day

pastel fleeting

and just for a few minutes
moments
in the time it takes to take it in
the sky is soft and pink

branching out

it isn't snowing
but little tufts fall from branches
as birds navigate the dogwood
pathways in parcels and tangles of limbs
tussles of flakes downward in sun
laying out the blanket
that tucks us all

hny

the light is especially bright today