A Backyard Lesson

 

Last week I was fed up. There was so much bad news; too much anger, sorrow, despair, and danger out there. My backyard is my sanctuary, so I took my coffee out there one morning and let the birds guide me.

My Neigh­­­­bor’s Cat

I’ve invited nature­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

into my backyard:

hydrangeas,

Japanese maple,

indigenous oak,

hostas,

blooms in pots,

and birdfeeders.

Towhee, dove and cardinal,

finch and sparrow,

chickadee

bluebird­­­­­­

woodpecker

and thrasher

all bring joyful sounds,

flight and color;

an enticing wildness

that I cannot quite touch

without it fleeing.

 

My neighbor’s cat

slinks into the yard

and the joyful dissipates.

All is quiet.

Uneasy quiet.

The cat hops up on the fence,

turns her head,

then departs.

 

Birds return with their joyful.

Quick to dodge danger,

just as quick to sing again.

Just as quick to sing again.

 

              ~ Charles Kinnaird

 

_____________

Brown Thrasher Bathes

I have some essays on the back burner, some poetry waiting in the wings, but for now, you can kick back and catch a view from my back porch.

 

-

On the Buddha's Belly

On the Buddha’s Belly

The terracotta laughing Buddha
Sits beneath the red bud tree
As is his custom.
He casts a knowing glance across the yard
To St. Francis
Who stands beside the juniper.

A lizard crawls upon the Buddha’s belly
And rests in the sun
While a hummingbird gathers nectar nearby.
St. Francis declares that creation rejoices
As the Buddha allows
The humblest of creatures
To rest in the stillness of the day.

Chaos threatens confused rulers of the world
While order and peace reside
In my backyard.




*