grackle flyby

chance perfection

The sticks lie framed in parallel as if weft
Across the large branches at the swamp edge.
The red leaves displayed in the center
As if someone stopped here to make a tapestry.

I have gone off the path not knowing
I would find this exquisite perfection of chance events
But knowing you only see when you look
And what you see is what speaks to you.

Out of all the myriad possible images to select
In the great complexity of vegetation here
This one catches my eye and holds me
Like in a dream amazed at the design in the light.

What means this arrangement of lines?
I cannot say. A painting does not mean something.
But it has meaning for me, beholding this beauty,
Which I photograph to share with you.

great swamp

on the spot auto body

kindness

The best we can do is be kind to each other.
I want to speak to you when I see you are feeling sad.
I want to find the words to comfort you.
I want to hold you and hug you as your friend.

I feel this way about strangers in the street
And I feel this way with my family, friends and lovers
Though with those who know me
The problem may be of my own making.

You might be upset with me for something I did or didn’t do.
I don’t know what if you don’t tell me.
I don’t realize it until later I see it in your face
Though I feel something is the matter sooner.

In this life there are times when we all feel alone.
There are things I would like to talk about with my mother
Would that she were alive to listen.
We are all apart from each other sometimes.

Feeling empathy for another person is so sweet.
Feeling connected to others makes a community.
Showing and saying how you feel makes it real.
I love you. I love all of you.

sunshine shore trail