On a day when I
didn’t give a hoot, having
been rendered hootless
by encounters with those who
gave giving a hoot
a bad name (honestly, how
quickly do you have
to move when the light turns green?),
I arrived home to
be greeted by, you guessed it,
an owl who rehooted me.
JDG
Up to my ass in alligators
would beat this.
Alligators don’t tease.
One gulp and you’re done.
But today when I was told
my bank balance had suddenly skyrocketed,
my heart leapt
and I was caught by foolish hope.
Then alligator reality
opened its wide jaws
and left behind
sure and certain bones –
the knowledge that tomorrow
the bank would call and say,
“Woops!”
JDG
Those birds have built a nest, not in the trees,
but in my heart.
They bring forth
song in
me.
From
that place
my spirit
soars as they give
wings to nature’s ever-present blessing.
JDG
In early morning
stillness, as the sun slowly
eases its way past
the horizon, I sit at
rest. Suddenly my
mind stirs and starts shoving old
furniture around
the room, surveying it first
from this angle, then
from that, shattering the peace.
Something else within
awakes and softly invites
the mind to let it
be, at least for now, and watch
as day slowly fills with light.
JDG
What I learned from years
gone by was to be patient
as I awaited
Spring. After all, snow still lay
fresh upon the hills.
But, when I saw that vase of
golden daffodils,
all patience fled, leaving me
instead, a bouquet of longing.
JDG
Cardinals
and crows bring us
daily briefings and give
us a bird’s eye view of all that
is new.
~~
Something
there is about
the birds… They lift my heart,
still my mind, and as I age, bring
me peace.
JDG
Against the evening
sky a pale rainbow arches,
touching the slowly
disappearing snow. The sun,
at horizon’s edge,
splashes magenta and soft
gold, leaving us with
a promise, as this day fades,
of sunny days still to come.
JDG
Between two worlds streaked
with white, a lone osprey soars.
Down below robins
sing, searching for the perfect
note to slide us into Spring.
JDG
After a long break
the squirrel returned, careful to keep
his tail arched on his back.
That last encounter with our cat
taught him well.
If you don’t want to be dangled
over the porch by your tail,
keep an open eye,
your tail curved close, and raised high.
That’s his tail and he’s sticking to it.
JDG
Not Much
It doesn’t take much –
just two days of slowing down,
of not doing, not
going, of watching the birds feed,
the fire burn,
the kids play, the snow fall –
two days for renewal.
~~
Winter Wonders
Whoever coined the phrase,
“Winter Wonderland”,
got one thing right –
the wondering.
I wonder when the snow will melt.
I wonder when the ice will thaw.
I wonder when the roads will clear
and the kids go back to school.
Mostly,
I wonder how much longer I can keep my cool.
JDG
