Chris Lowther photo
Sometimes a heron flies over,
looking like a skinny matron
with her purse clutched under her wing.
Two eagles, wings spread,
circle lazily,
sky-surfing the thermals
and,
sometimes the same slug
shows up curled cozily
in my potted calla lilies.
I lift him with whatever is at hand,
and take him far across the yard,
hoping he will lose his way
and find another bed.
But, sure enough,
several days later,
there he is again,
so comfy in his preferred spot.
Last week, 2000 geese
landed on the local airport,
stopping all air traffic,
and had to be gently encouraged
off the runway.
Other lives are living all around us:
check out the intricacies of that spider web
dewy in the morning sun,
complacent spider sitting in the centre
just waiting for her breakfast
to arrive.
Cosmo, big friendly Malamute,
comes smiling into the yard,
dragging his smiling owner.
He graciously accepts a treat,
then rolls onto his back and writhes
with pleasure.
Before they leave, he serenades me
with his wolfy howls,
to tell me he misses me already
before he is even gone.
Universes large and small
live out their lives
as we do, day by day,
sometimes unaware of the wonder
that abounds, when we live,
eyes open, in kinship
with the world.
Oh Sherry the 2000 geese had me smiling...it must have beent their land once before humans made it an airport! And incredible how the slug keeps coming back!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love all of the examples you gave of kinship in your poem, Sherry. The idea of the 2000 geese deciding to land on the runway makes me smile! And I loved that Cosmo enjoys his visit to you as much as you enjoy his visit!
ReplyDeleteI too smiled at the 2000 geese closing the runway. I guess, they had their own flight plans. We do indeed have kinship with natures creatures. I look forward to reading your prompt on Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteI simply LOVE all the birdies that have become a beautiful poem. Aww...how precious is that "friendly Malamute" too! Ha! A slug never loses its way. :D
ReplyDeleteHerons, eagles, slug, geese, spider, dog . . . I imagine you sitting in the center of teeming life all feeling safe that you would gently touch and carry them out of harm. Magic!
ReplyDeleteSuch a peaceful and gorgeous poem I especially love the lines "with her purse clutched under her wing and "sky-surfing the thermals" Oh and I had to laugh at these geese landing on the runway. It it beautiful when they are all in the air and striking down somewhere
ReplyDeleteYes there is a lot of magic around us if we have our eyes wide open. Lovely poem
ReplyDeleteThere is so much going on around us. You have so beautifully expressed what we can miss if we lose our awareness that there is more than just human life living on this earth.
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