Friday, June 29, 2018

This Blog Is Moving!

My blog has migrated from Blogger to my website, here. (http://www.kristenlindquist.com/blog/)

There will be a few days' hiatus while I smooth over the transition, figure out how to post to the new site, migrate the new blog site to my posting app, etc. I hope you'll stick with me!

Kristen

Thursday, June 28, 2018

June 28: Cherries

alone in the kitchen
reading haiku
over a bowl of cherries

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

June 27: Strawberry Moon

Strawberry Moon
cutting the peonies
before a rainstorm

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

June 26: Cathedral Woods

Cathedral Woods
a conclave of doves
rises from the trail

Monday, June 25, 2018

June 25: Trail

after the rain
clouds of tiny moths
rise from the trail

Sunday, June 24, 2018

June 24: Cathedral Woods

Cathedral Woods
nothing in my head
but the names of birds

Saturday, June 23, 2018

June 23: Cathedral Woods

the wren’s song 
unfurled above twinflowers
fairy houses

Friday, June 22, 2018

June 22: Sunset

summer solstice
silhouettes of gulls 
fly into the sunset

Thursday, June 21, 2018

June 21: Solstice

summer solstice
sharing my strawberries
with a catbird

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

June 20: Owl

summer solstice
the long silence
after the owl calls

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

June 19: Up

finally looking up 
waxing half moon
soaring hawk

Monday, June 18, 2018

June 18: Back porch

rotting porch rail
again the rhododendron 
in full bloom

Sunday, June 17, 2018

June 17: Nesting

nesting season
both catbirds
scolding the cat

Saturday, June 16, 2018

June 16: Farmer’s Market

farmer’s market
she praises
last night’s crescent moon

Friday, June 15, 2018

June 15: June roses

almost Midsummer
mooning over roses
at the plant nursery

Thursday, June 14, 2018

June 14: Candlelight

candlelit dinner
the doe’s eyes shining
in the headlights

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

June 13: Something in the air

chorus of wind chimes
weight of the rain 
that will fall tonight

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

June 12: Gift

morning coffee
the wind has strewn 
heart-shaped petals

Monday, June 11, 2018

June 11: Nesting

catbirds nest-making
in the sunny old garden
everything’s ok

Sunday, June 10, 2018

June 10: House Finch

what am I
compared to this finch
her perfect grey bill

Saturday, June 9, 2018

June 9: Saturday night

Saturday night 
watching together 
the slow fade to dark

Friday, June 8, 2018

June 8: Clematis

purple clematis
finally tall enough
to train the vines

Thursday, June 7, 2018

June 7: Chill

climate change
unseasonably cold night
in an empty bed

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

June 6: Poppies

overcast afternoon
the urge to pick
my neighbor’s orange poppies

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

June 5: Phoebe

neighborhood
phoebe’s regular perch
on our lawn chair

Monday, June 4, 2018

June 4: Farmstand

farmstand sign:
fiddleheads, tick repellent
early strawberries

Sunday, June 3, 2018

June 3: Weeding

weeding the garden
which flowers live
and which die

Saturday, June 2, 2018

June 2: Catbird seat

freedom of choice
sitting on the porch
to listen to the catbird

Friday, June 1, 2018

June 1: Double feature


1
that time again
purple irises
along the old white shed

2
that time again
I’d forgotten 
there were all these flowers

Thursday, May 31, 2018

May 31: Happy hour

happy hour
ecstasy of swifts
in perfect blue sky

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

May 30: Cat

house without its cat
a pine forest
on a windless day

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

May 29: Quince

amazed again each spring
by the color
of the quince blossoms

Monday, May 28, 2018

May 28: Apple tree

as if the hot pink blossoms
weren't enough
grosbeak's song


Listen to the Rose-breasted Grosbeak's melodious song here.

Sunday, May 27, 2018

May 27: Pebble Beach

Pebble Beach tableau:
stone, lichen, shell, seaweed
where do the seals fit in?

Saturday, May 26, 2018

May 26: Island hike-u

island trail
at one end: rooster’s crow
the other: roaring surf

Friday, May 25, 2018

March 25: Mystery

early moonrise
some kind of bird
wailing in the meadow

Thursday, May 24, 2018

May 24: Flowering plum

spring thunderstorm 
how I covet
my neighbor’s plum tree

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

May 23: "New for Spring!"

vireo singing
or the green leaves that hide him
new spring menu

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

May 22: Warblers

hearing their songs
over the adding machine
spring warblers

Monday, May 21, 2018

May 21: Return from the island

smooth crossing
a white butterfly
four miles out to sea

Sunday, May 20, 2018

May 20: Woodcocks

alone at twilight
with setting Venus
and displaying woodcocks

Version 2:

middle age
alone at twilight
with setting Venus

Saturday, May 19, 2018

May 19: Grackle

morning sunlight
the iridescent grackle
illuminated

Friday, May 18, 2018

May 18: Black flies

black fly season
forced to write haiku
indoors


Thursday, May 17, 2018

May 17: Millville

derelict house
graced by a flowering tree
what a waste

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

May 16: Safety first

wild geese nesting
next to a guard dog
lawn ornament

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

May 15: Birdsong

yellow warbler
is that the real bird singing
or my ringtone?

Monday, May 14, 2018

May 14: Fish Ladder

masses of alewives
the childless woman
doesn’t get it

Sunday, May 13, 2018

May 13: Sleep issues

trying to fall asleep
with a weight on my chest
one small cat

Saturday, May 12, 2018

May 12: World Migratory Bird Day

spring bird walk
remembering the many 
shades of leaf green 

Friday, May 11, 2018

May 11: Song Sparrow

realizing I’m within
his territory
sparrow’s song

Thursday, May 10, 2018

May 10: Nap

falling asleep 
to the lawnmower’s hum
al fresco

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

May 9: Racing the vulture

trying to drive faster
than the vulture overhead
homeward

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

May 8: Cookie

night class
thinking about the cookie
left in my bag

Monday, May 7, 2018

May 7: Remembrance

prayer to her memory
kneeling down
to sniff the mayflowers

Sunday, May 6, 2018

May 6: Farmstand

spring green
first batch of fiddleheads
sold out

Saturday, May 5, 2018

May 5: Photos

freeing up memory
twenty views
of that one butterfly

Friday, May 4, 2018

May 4: River

stocked rainbows
leaving the window open
to hear the river

Thursday, May 3, 2018

May 3: Fog bank

night classes
above the fog bank
starless sky

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

May 2: Magnolia

the right words
glimpse of a back yard
magnolia in bloom

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

May 1: Beltane

Venus shining
for a few more hours
spring peeper chorus

Monday, April 30, 2018

April 30: Drive-by

swirl of vultures and crows
in the field below
something we can't see

Sunday, April 29, 2018

April 29: Meta

what you’re really saying
hidden among hashtags 
#modernromance


Saturday, April 28, 2018

April 28: Date night

behind the movie theatre
calls of woodcocks
Venus growing brighter

Friday, April 27, 2018

April 27: Found Haiku

Overhead on the airport PA while I was traveling home from DC:

If you lost a key
at the Chick-Fil-A
please visit info desk C

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

April 24 - 26: Washington, D.C.

I’m in Washington D.C. for several days to lobby for support of the Endangered Species Act, among other things, on behalf of Defenders of Wildlife. 

Department of State
old white sycamore
leaning into traffic

our nation’s capitol
cherry blossoms
heaped on the sidewalks

learning how to lobby
against extinction
church clock’s chime

Monday, April 23, 2018

April 23: Flying

so small from the air
the island 
where my heart is

Sunday, April 22, 2018

April 22: Earth Day

telling me not to
she would pick mayflowers
earth day

Saturday, April 21, 2018

April 21: A day

going on like that
some days even the cardinal
is too much to take

Friday, April 20, 2018

April 20: Ospreys

how high the river 
pair of ospreys circling
the old mill’s smokestack

Thursday, April 19, 2018

April 19: Color

bowl of clementines
forced forsythia flowers—
longing for spring

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

April 18: Cat time

morning sun 
cat hairs drifting 
in my coffee

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

April 17: Birthday

the fallen tree
shifted by flood waters
another birthday

Monday, April 16, 2018

April 16: Chicken

neighbor’s black chicken
strutting on the snow
spring pastoral

Sunday, April 15, 2018

April 15: Bowerbird

Today at the Northeast Natural History Conference, ornithologist Richard Prum spoke in support of  Darwin’s idea that beauty in nature has evolved for its own sake, resulting from conscious choice, rather than the prevailing theory that ornamention must also offer some greater benefit resulting from natural selection. I’m not expressing it well, so I recommend his book THE EVOLUTION OF BEAUTY. 

mysteries of desire—
bright blue objects 
in the bowerbird’s bower

Saturday, April 14, 2018

April 14: Sleet

Slow drive in sleet.
If birds, he’d be a swift,
I’d be a waxwing.

Friday, April 13, 2018

April 13: Driving stories

roadside memorials
counting crows
all the way to Vermont

Thursday, April 12, 2018

April 12: Bear Pond

private beach—
the pond still locked in
by ice

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

April 11: Frost

over the mountain 
in time to melt the frost
rising sun

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

April 10: Gallery

art gallery window
framing a flock of pigeons
across blue sky

Monday, April 9, 2018

April 9: First flowers

that point in early spring
even skunk cabbage
is a welcome flower

Sunday, April 8, 2018

April 8: FOY

for a few minutes
it feels like spring
first phoebe calling


FOY=birder’s shorthand for “first of year,” first bird noted of a migrant species

Saturday, April 7, 2018

April 7: Sparrow

even as snow falls
song sparrows singing
those emotions

Friday, April 6, 2018

April 6: Spring snow

April snowfall
we’d have thought it beautiful
three months ago

Thursday, April 5, 2018

April 5: Chipmunk

the short life
of a chipmunk
this floating world

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

April 4: White

white crocus
looks too much like snow
April showers

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

April 3: Brook trout

fishing hole
before the osprey returns
casting for trout

Monday, April 2, 2018

April 2: Green Moon

stained glass window
rising moon
green then blue

Sunday, April 1, 2018

April 1: Easter morning

resurrection
crow eats the dead mouse
then flies away

Saturday, March 31, 2018

March 31: Pink Moon

spring’s first full moon
a big gold egg
rising over the harbor

Friday, March 30, 2018

March 30: Mist

spring shower
ducks already pairing up
on the misty river

Thursday, March 29, 2018

March 29: Loon

almost ice-out
calls overhead of a loon
flying inland

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

March 28: Feather

careful not to step on it 
perfect pigeon feather
revealed by snowmelt 

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

March 27: Eagle

arms full of groceries
looked up just in time 
to see an eagle soar past

Monday, March 26, 2018

March 26: Finally, flowers

southern exposure
where the snow has melted
crocus are blooming

Sunday, March 25, 2018

March 25: Distraction

distracted at my desk
squirrel acrobatics
among bare branches

Saturday, March 24, 2018

March 24: Melting

startled after dark
by the soft sounds of snow
sliding off the roof

Friday, March 23, 2018

March 23: Mob

the crows are yelling
to come see an owl
but I’m late for work

Thursday, March 22, 2018

March 22: Crocus

little girl in boots
crushing crocus flowers
under a crust of snow

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

March 21: Vernal Equinox

first day of spring
nothing leaves a mark
on the packed snow

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

March 20: Raven

far from the desert
is the same raven soaring 
over these snowy fields

Monday, March 19, 2018

March 19: Departure

sense of loss
driving to the airport
roadside memorials

Sunday, March 18, 2018

March 18: Ocotillo

desert morning
raising arms to the rising sun
ocotillo

Saturday, March 17, 2018

March 17: Madera Canyon

canyon meditation
following morning sunlight
down the slopes

Friday, March 16, 2018

March 16: Box Canyon

winding canyon road
we pull over
to let three cows pass

March 15: Cottonwoods

wisdom from old cottonwoods:
send roots deep in dry times,
practice self-pruning

Thursday, March 15, 2018

March 14: Grasslands sunrise

greeting the sunrise
with a much louder welcome
soaring raven




Wednesday, March 14, 2018

March 13: Saguaro NP

cactus forest
following songs of sparrows
losing myself

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

March 12: Sabino Canyon

in the canyon
listening for owls
after dinner

Monday, March 12, 2018

March 11: Vermillion

walk with a friend
vermillion flycatcher
flashing in the mesquite 








Saturday, March 10, 2018

March 10: Lunch in Tucson

tacos al fresco
in bloom over our table
big fat red rose

March 9: Travel

air  time  travel
regaining two hours of my life
when I step off the plane

Thursday, March 8, 2018

March 8: Snowdrop

under all that fresh snow
first tendrils of snowdrops
that had just appeared

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

March 7: Winter travel

change of plans
single crow on a bare branch
under falling snow

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

March 6: Weather

change of weather
the look on his face
when I get home

Monday, March 5, 2018

March 5: March is the cruelest month

not really spring
binge-eating Girl Scout cookies
with low-fat milk

Sunday, March 4, 2018

March 4: Classics

who are our gods now
cold night alone
re-reading the Odyssey

Saturday, March 3, 2018

March 3: Storm surge

storm surge
everyone posting photos
of things underwater

Friday, March 2, 2018

March 2: Worm Moon

happy hour
watching from the bar
as the full moon rises

Thursday, March 1, 2018

March 1: At the gym

post-surgery
he counts the laps 
til he’s walked a mile

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

February 28: Windfall

fallen branch
from my neighbor’s willow
hung up on our fence 

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

February 27: Moon again

waxing moon rising
right where you'd expect it
home town

Monday, February 26, 2018

February 26: Quick thaw

sublimation
leave the doors open
to let February go

Sunday, February 25, 2018

February 25: Weather

sun then snow then rain
the weather too
can't make up its mind

Saturday, February 24, 2018

February 24: Birthday party

Sirius rising
a single candle
in my birthday dessert

Friday, February 23, 2018

February 23: Cold rain

freezing rain
even the cat mistakes it
for the scurry of mice

Thursday, February 22, 2018

February 22: Sleep chant

reciting until dawn
the threefold refuge
insomnia

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

February 21: Thaw

overnight thaw
we follow the flight 
of the one white pigeon

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

February 20: Birthday

my mother singing
on my answering machine
another year



*Thank you, Peter Newton, for your edits that made this haiku so much stronger!

Monday, February 19, 2018

February 19: Tracking

life lessons

frozen hieroglyphics
of a crow’s tracks

Sunday, February 18, 2018

February 18: Starry night

Certain revelations—
old moon in the new moon’s arms
and all those stars

Saturday, February 17, 2018

February 17: Winter sun

Head cold finally licked.
Courtship songs of chickadees
all along the path. 

Friday, February 16, 2018

February 16: Overheard

After the meeting
someone telling how a bobcat
ran through his yard.

Thursday, February 15, 2018

February 15: Allegiance

Reciting the Pledge.
Chickadees gleaning insects
along the eaves.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

February 14: Forced beauty

Forced into it—
forsythia twigs
finally starting to bloom. 

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

February 13: Winter Olympics, cont.

Winter Olympics—
eating heart-shaped cookies
Is this for a medal?

Monday, February 12, 2018

February 12: Amaryllis

Cabin fever.
Fading amaryllis
leans on the lamp for strength.

Sunday, February 11, 2018

February 11: Sunday morning

Snow melted by rain.
Cat and I on the back porch
sniffing the air.

Saturday, February 10, 2018

February 10: Winter Olympics

Winter Olympics—
stuck inside with a cold
watching skiing and luge.

Friday, February 9, 2018

February 9: Winter Olympics

Winter Olympics—
amaryllis glows
in the light of the t.v.

Thursday, February 8, 2018

February 8: Rubies

Sunlit sumac berries—
precious as rubies
to winter robins.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

February 7: Symphony No. 25

First flakes start to fall.
Mozart symphony playing
while the cat sleeps on.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

February 6: Deer

In the woods nearby
a doe often reclines
in the same patch of sun.

Monday, February 5, 2018

February 5: Cardinal pair

Holding very still
so I don’t scare the cardinal pair
from the feeder.

Sunday, February 4, 2018

February 4: Mid-winter

It’s come down to this:
staring at a vase of twigs,
some sort of prayer. 

Saturday, February 3, 2018

February 3: Moonrise

Inspired reflection:
watching the moon rise
at the poetry reading.

Friday, February 2, 2018

February 2: Trompe l’œil

Small hole in a tree—
looks like an owl’s perched in there
but it’s a knot. 

Thursday, February 1, 2018

February 1: Reading poetry on a winter's night

Last night in my Maine Poetry class, we read aloud Longfellow's "Wreck of the Hesperus," each of us in turn reading a stanza—an under-appreciated, long-lost form of entertainment.

Full moon on snow.
Reading Longfellow aloud
like they used to.

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

January 31: Blue Moon

I confess I slept through this morning's partial lunar eclipse. But I did admire the moon in the middle of the night as it was lighting up the post-snowstorm sky. This full moon is a blue moon, being the second full moon of the month. It was also, technically, a super moon, meaning it was at a closer point to Earth in its orbit (perigee). A lot going on in the sky as the moon was setting and the sun was rising.

Blue moon setting.
Constellation of oak leaves
scattered on fresh snow.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

January 30: Snowing

Swirling snow—
only the undaunted crows
remain visible.

Monday, January 29, 2018

January 29: Pregnant moon

Gestating moon,
what will you give birth to
two cold days from now?

Sunday, January 28, 2018

January 28: Hawks

To keep myself amused on long drives, I sometimes keep a tally of all the Red-tailed Hawks I see perched along the roadside, watching for prey. 

Measuring the miles—
from Kittery to Camden
a seven-hawk drive. 


Saturday, January 27, 2018

January 27: Fox sunrise

Fox barking at dawn
leaves another line of tracks
across the snowy lawn. 

Friday, January 26, 2018

January 26: To roost

Above the library—
learning how to read
the vast flock of crows. 

Thursday, January 25, 2018

January 25: Sunrise

Breath-taking sunrise—
if I have to be awake,
at least there’s that.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

January 24: Downtown

Sidewalk conversation.
Pigeons flying from one roof
to another. 

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

January 23: Bulbs

Frost on the window.
Undeniably phallic
amaryllis bud.

Monday, January 22, 2018

January 22: Spying

Black pieces on a white board—
what are the crows up to
across the river?

Sunday, January 21, 2018

January 21: Wildlife

Dead of winter.
In my morning coffee
a drowning fruit fly.

Saturday, January 20, 2018

January 20: Winter Zen

Buddha of the porch
remains serene
with a lap full of snow.

Friday, January 19, 2018

January 19: Out

Sun on fresh snow.
Titmouse’s dog-whistle
calling me outside.

Thursday, January 18, 2018

January 18: New Moon

Slender new moon.
Deer stretching their necks to feed
on cedar boughs. 

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

January 17: Red on white

Cardinal in a snowstorm.
Finding hope 
in the smallest things.



January 16: Crows

It’s not by accident
that three crows gather
in a tree over my head. 

Monday, January 15, 2018

January 15: Evergreen

Rhododendron leaves
tight green fists clenched
against the cold

Sunday, January 14, 2018

January 14: Ebb

Late afternoon, ebb tide.
Silhouettes of feeding ducks
drift out of sight.

Saturday, January 13, 2018

January 13: MLK, Jr. Weekend

Holiday weekend.
Voices of river and rain
blending in the dark.

Friday, January 12, 2018

January 12: Meltwater

January thaw—
sounds of running water
even our thoughts fluid

Thursday, January 11, 2018

January 11: January thaw

January thaw
snow dripping off the eaves
something loosed in my heart

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

January 10: Here

out of the car
confronted with Orion
where I’m supposed to be

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

January 9: Outside

After days of single digit and subzero temperatures, it rose into the 30s today. I actually paused to appreciate being outside. 

Shoveling gritty snow
rush of traffic
goldfinches singing

Monday, January 8, 2018

January 8: Perched seal

Waiting for the moment
when the rising tide 
floats the seal off its rock.



Sunday, January 7, 2018

January 7: What lies beneath

Transfer station.
Could be anything
under those piles of snow.

Saturday, January 6, 2018

January 6: We ponder the meaning of cold

Zero degrees all day.
Chimney smoke a flat pennant
pointing south.

Friday, January 5, 2018

January 5: Finches at the feeder

Eleventh day of Christmas—
snowstorm gave to me
two finches feeding.

Thursday, January 4, 2018

January 4: Tracking

Across the harbor ice
tracks of a squirrel
visit a lobster boat. 

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

January 3: Moonset

Sky flushed with sunrise.
Behind the retirement home
setting moon still bright. 

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

January 2: Awake

After midnight
long shadows of trees
lying across moonlit snow

Monday, January 1, 2018

January 1: Wolf Moon

After midnight
fat old moon slips easily
into the new year.