Quote of the Day: my favorite springtime poem by Mary Oliver.Such Singing in the Wild Branches
It was spring
and finally I heard him
among the the first leaves -
then I saw him clutching the limb
in an island of shade
with his red-brown feathers
all trim and neat for the new year.
First, I stood still
and thought of nothing.
Then I began to listen.
Then I was filled with gladness-
and that's when it happened,
when I seemed to float,
to be, myself, a wing or a tree-
and I began to understand
what the bird was saying,
and the sands in the glass
stopped
for a pure white moment
while gravity sprinkled upward
like rain, rising,
and in fact
it became difficult to tell just what it was that was singing-
it was the thrush for sure, but it seemed
not a single thrush, but himself, and all his brothers,
and also the trees around them,
as well as the gliding, long-tailed clouds
in the perfectly blue sky-all, all of them
were singing.
And, of course, yes, so it seemed,
so was I.
Such soft and solemn and perfect music doesn't last
for more than a few moments.
It's one of the magical places wise people
like to talk about.
One of the tings they say about, that is true,
is that, once you've been there,
you're there forever.
Listen, everyone has a chance.
Is it spring, is it morning?
Are there trees near you,
and does our own soul need comforting?
Quick, then - open the door and fly on your heavy feet; the song
may already be drifting away.
Listen to Mary Oliver read more of her amazing poetry here. She has a loving and emotional way of describing nature and all its glory.
The birds have come and woken up something new inside me. I tried to capture a few on camera.
I need a stronger lens or better bait. I tried cut up oranges and grape jelly. So far, I've attracted ants. I did see one come close, but of course, I wasn't ready with my camera. So, this morning, I'm sitting in my kitchen with the deck door open. A cool breeze is coming in, and I've heard a few birds, but none have landed on my deck railings. This is the closest they came.
While I was looking for images of orioles verses yellow finches, I found this blog by Lisa Sabin-Wilson. Her post on trying to capture her orioles on "film" was much like mine. It was an older post, so I clicked her title to see what she's recently done, and discovered a glorious video of an NPR recording of Adele. Sweet, soulful music.
I had intended to write this post yesterday, but it didn't work out. I ended up doing yardwork. Here's what happened. On Tuesday, Lisa, my friend and neighbor, asked if I had any hotdogs. I had four left in a package, so I ran them over to her house. On Wednesday morning, she came over to my house while I was at a meeting, and started digging up a voluntary tree that had grown from a seed that came down my downspout. Once she got started, there was no stopping her. She trimmed my bushes, and cleaned up the brush around my house. We solicited the help of her nephew.
He was more than happy to pull the Radio Flyer to the back and call for Someone (me) to help him unload it. I offered up lemonade as a reward.
Birds, buds, blossoms, and being a good neighbor - that's what makes Spring so beautiful!
Go. Create. Inspire!
Journaling Prompt: What are some signs of Spring in your neck of the woods? Or, what are the signs of changing seasons in your part of the globe?
