Birds

From above and far away I heard them

Birds!

I’ve seldom heard birds sing

these birds didn’t disappoint. 

Their twittering conversations filled 

the warm spring afternoon, 

rising above the sound of humanity 

on foot, on bicycles, 

orange mo-peds, 

shining chrome and black motorcycles, 

cars, vans and trucks washed 

in the dirt of splashing into spring

Above it all

the birds took my heart to the sky.

“The trills and trickles of song from the birds in the big tree 

above her seemed in perfect accord with her mood.”

~ L.M.Montgomery,  Anne of the Island, 1915

Strength

When clouds bubble up 

from behind the roof tops,  

I wonder if somewhere 

there is a thunderstorm or 

if they are just sitting 

quietly gathering strength. 

From the distance land to sky 

I can only wonder. 

When I work the muscles of my body, 

I feel the soft strength that is me. 

Guy wires that move my frame 

as though I were a puppet and 

I, the puppeteer. I can only wonder 

what will allow me to gather strength.

“It feels good pulling on these muscles, 

it feels better than worrying about who is watching.”

Alain Bremond-Torrent, author

A Spring Day Feeling

April 26, 2024

The sun shone;

ice and snow melted; 

the spring day feeling 

of opening up, 

tidying up and 

welcoming little spaces 

closed up by clutter and 

a long week of a foggy head. 

Housework has never called to me, 

but the bits and pieces of disorder 

nudge my soul and, 

Spit Spot (a Mary Poppins reference)

the laundry washes, dries, folds

is spirited away to drawers and cupboards 

garbage out to the bin in the alley 

as I chat with my neighbour

paper jam in the printer is studied and unjammed

The sun shone and the wind became just a breeze.

“Spring is magic ~ sweet to the senses & easy to celebrate.”

~ Susan Branch, Vineyard Seasons: More from the Heart of the Home