Tag: Woodpecker

When Morning

~ mtngriff ~ 1 Comment 
I.
 
 When morning
           Comes
Eating all its 
           Storm clouds
Unfurling photosensitive
            Sky
 I lie in bed
            Surprised
 Brother to the light
            Striding through
 My window.
 
 II.
 
 In little things
            The magic
 In little things
            The power
 Snowflake
            On the tongue
                 Tranformer
 Acorn 
            In the hand
                 Renewer
 Pileated Woodpecker
            Far in the forest
                 Laughing now
 In my ear.
 
 III.
 
 Then
            with the early birds
                 At the feeder
 I say: 
 
     Earth
            My catechism
      Nature
            My bible
      Footsteps
            My altar
      Offering
            Myself
 

 15 December 2019
 Cedar Wings Cottage
 Clearing after Storm
 

 Wishing you a Merry Everyone and a Holy Everything

Upholder of the Way

~ mtngriff ~ 4 Comments
Hairy Woodpecker, Dryobates villosus
Mdf CC BY-SA 3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)
 Long moments
 Watching the hairy woodpecker
 Making her way
 Up the burnt and blackened ponderosa
 From recent wildfire
 Bark flicking off
 Probing, insistent pecking
 While the figures and shadows
 Of turkey vultures
 Cut across sky
 On this promontory
 Ridge with afternoon updraft
 And views 
 out over
 The great valley
 Even to the Coast Ranges.
 

 Upholder of the way
 Keeper
 Of the practice
 Grooved deep in instinct
 Buddha
 To my bodhisattva
 I vow
 To listen
 To your braaap-bra-da-dap
 As intently as to
 A temple bell
 Calling
 To prayer.
 

 15 November 2019
 Kentucky Ridge, 2300’
 Moon past full, waiting for rain