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...