Thursday, August 31, 2017

August 31: Nighthawks

Fall migration is underway for many birds, including Common Nighthawks. These agile fliers can be seen now at dusk, wending their way south over fields and rivers in loose flocks of five to five-hundred. Most will spend eight months or so of their year in South America, which might more appropriately be called their "home" despite the fact that they nest and raise their young here in the U.S.
 
driving home near dusk
nighthawks flitting overhead
also heading home
 
Version 2:
 
driving home near dusk
nighthawks flitting overhead
thoughts of flight

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

August 30: Harvest

Muskmelon big as my head--
all day its perfume
sweetens my kitchen.

August 29: Tuesday morning

Sun breaking through clouds.
Clamor of the crows
moving upriver.
 

Monday, August 28, 2017

August 28: Music

Red squirrel sputters,
back-beat to music blaring
at the mini golf course.

Sunday, August 27, 2017

August 27: Stridulation

At the front door
single cricket chirruping
a summons a dirge

Saturday, August 26, 2017

August 26: Route 52

Roadside orchard--
boughs of ripening apples
half-cover a road sign.
 
 

Friday, August 25, 2017

August 25: Miss

Lunch meeting.
Braking in time
to miss the squirrel.

Thursday, August 24, 2017

August 24: Delivery

View of the harbor
blocked by a delivery truck
Native Produce

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

August 23: Quintet

Writing about crows
when five crows appear
on my neighbor's lawn

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

August 22: Gallery

shrill cries of an osprey
tourists perusing
paintings of the harbor

Monday, August 21, 2017

August 21: Solar power

after the eclipse
reflected sunlight
setting fire to the river

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Saturday, August 19, 2017

August 19: Sleeping in

Late summer, late in bed.
Percolating coffee,
one goldfinch singing.

Friday, August 18, 2017

August 18: Spruce Head

Lobster shack lunch.
In the saltmarsh sandpipers
feeding at low tide.

Thursday, August 17, 2017

August 17: Diana Krall

It makes me happy
to hear on the radio
"Cry Me a River."

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

August 16: Vireo

No more singing.
The vireo too protests
summer's wane.

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

August 15: Deceit

We don't think of Blue Jays as mimics, but they can imitate other birds, especially hawks, surprisingly well. The ones in our yard pretend they are Broad-winged Hawks, Ospreys, and Red-shouldered Hawks on a regular basis. You have to pause and listen carefully to be sure about what you're hearing.
 
Fog hides the mountain.
Unseen hawk's piercing call
or is it a blue jay?

Monday, August 14, 2017

August 14: Flagstaff Lake

Driftwood on the beach.
Imagining the town lost
under these waves.
 
 

Sunday, August 13, 2017

August 13: Bog

Losing my flip-flops
amid pitcher plants
in the quaking bog
 
 

Saturday, August 12, 2017

August 12: Lake

The song of the Eastern Wood-pewee sounds like the three-part whistle you makes when you're trying to get someone's attention: pee-o-WEE.
 
Crawford Lake
pewee's beckoning whistle
we wade right in

Friday, August 11, 2017

August 11: Lawns

neighborhood lawns
flock of free-range chickens
five grazing crows

Thursday, August 10, 2017

August 10: Hat

Sun on the sidewalk.
Little boy in flip-flops, shorts,
furry leopard hat.

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

August 9: Moon-viewing

driving around town
looking for the best angle
to watch the rising moon
 

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

August 8: Primrose path

sunlit primrose blossom
replete with primrose moth
perfect relationship

Monday, August 7, 2017

August 7: Plover

The plover--and its poignant cry--was a familiar trope in classic Japanese poetry.
 
island beach
water's too cold for swimmers
first migrating plover
 
 

Sunday, August 6, 2017

August 6: Edison Studio

in the studio
she shapes in clay
what she imagines bronze
 
Sculptor Daphne Pulsifer, Monhegan
 

Saturday, August 5, 2017

August 5: Pebble Beach

bedrock geology:
white quartz intrusion
a lucky stripe for some
 
 

Friday, August 4, 2017

August 4: Manana

As the fog lifts
we can count the goats
across the harbor.

Thursday, August 3, 2017

August 3: Harbormaster

U.S. flag atop
the harbormaster's shack
blowing northerly.

Wednesday, August 2, 2017

August 2: Fog

Enveloped by fog.
Atop the smokestack
unseen osprey crying.

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

August 1: North Haven

after-dinner walk
doe with a fawn
crossing our path