Some dine on the porch

with others, Some grab a bite

and fly off to eat alone.

Some arrive, look around,

decide it’s too crowded

and leave unfed.

Others perch nearby

and wait for a spot to open.

Did we learn from them

or did they learn from us

or is this just common

hungry behavior?

Beneath the noise

a stillness lies

but we have to get still

to find it.

JDG

Snow gives us a chance

to practice patience whether

we want to or not.

So far the cats have been clear

that patience is not for them.

JDG

The snow offers us

a chance to slow down , unless

we have electricity

and can do our work from home.

JDG

Across the snowscape

the word went out and now our

porch is filled with hungry birds.

JDG

It only took one step out the door,

before our cat turned around

and came back in, reminding us

with multiple meows

that she was a domestic animal

and not a polar bear.

JDG

Store shelves grow empty, gas tanks

are filled, salt is spread,

firewood is gathered.

Now it’s a matter of wait and see.

JDG

Stripped shelves, full tanks as

we prepare for the icy

days that lie ahead.

JDG

On the frosty ground

three crows danced and played.

Other birds chirped encouragingly,

perhaps for the dancing crows,

but more likely to motivate me

to come out and spread some seed.

JDG

When everything is up in the air,

it’s hard to keep our feet on the ground,

to walk ourselves back to heart and home

and respond from there. Finding balance

in an unbalanced world is not an easy task,

but it is a necessary one and can be done.

JDG