January 31: Orange

It's good for me--

unpeeled orange

in a blue-and-white China bowl.

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January 30: Robins

Winter's come to this:

flock of robins foraging

for last summer's fruits.

January 29: Cedar Waxwing

Waxwing calling

as I enter the hair salon.

Not everything's frozen.

January 28: Awake

Awake in the dark
I try to lie still.
How many hours till dawn?

January 27: Amaryllis

At Janet's house yesterday, heated by the wood stove and sun coming in the big, south-west facing windows, she shows me photographs of Hawaii.

Sunny winter window:
three amaryllis bloom
against a backdrop of snow.

January 26: Snowy Owl at the Ice Bar

As we walked in the dark across the parking lot of the Samoset Resort last night, on our way to visit the outdoor Ice Bar there, a Snowy Owl flew over our heads and landed in front of us in full view on the roof of the fitness center, its white body shining in the dark.

 

The Ice Bar inspired

a visitation by

an Arctic emissary.

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January 25: From inside

I watch one crow

carry food to river's edge,

fly off in falling snow.

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January 24: Fake leopard fur coat

A wild animal,
I stalk through the cold
in my furry, bulky coat.

January 23: Pigeons

A row of round pigeons
hunkered down
on a snow-covered roof.

January 22: On receiving an album of old photographs

Thirteen-year-old tomboy
posing in an orange grove.
I knew nothing.

January 21: Absolution

Mallards bathing

in the half-frozen harbor.

Who forgives any of us?

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January 20: Matinee

Decided to spend our holiday afternoon watching "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit," a decent action flick in which hot young Chris Pine, as CIA agent Jack Ryan, goes up against the great Kenneth Branagh as a Russian baddie.

It's almost sundown
when we emerge. But
we've been to Moscow and back.

January 19: After shoveling snow on game day

Shoulders aching

heart sinking, as I watch

all those long, completed passes.

January 18: Out in the cold again

The three-hour direct flight from Punta Gorda to Bangor has its blessings--no layovers, no lost luggage--as well as its downside: we were returned to the cold and imminent snow much too quickly.

Flurry of snow
reminds us of the white sands
we left behind.

January 17: Beaches

Spent our last full day in Florida soaking up the seaside sun and warmth with a second hike at Stump Pass State Park and a visit to the beach at Blind Pass State Park on Manasota Key. So much to love: shorebirds at surf's edge, diving pelicans, sea grapes, crying ospreys, dolphins passing by offshore, colorful shells tumbled by waves, a gopher tortoise thoughtfully chewing on a blade of grass, anoles rustling among dry palm fronds, and always the ancient rush and rhythm of the waves...

 

Sand slows my steps.

I breathe

in time with waves.

 

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January 16: Full moon joy in Florida

Tonight's poem is lifted from a conversation after a dinner party tonight with my mother and her friends here in Englewood, Florida. Thank you for the inspiration, Patrick!

 

Laughter in the dark:

"Full moon

over a double wide!"

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January 15: Habitat

Spent the morning in the lush, primeval cypress swamp of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, then a few hours this afternoon in the sandy pine flatlands of the Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area. In between, we had lunch at a fast-food franchise off I-75.

 

Between bird stops,

lunch at a Waffle House:

two Wood Storks soar past.

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January 14: Sanibel

Spent the day birding with my husband and my mother in one of my favorite places: Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge.

 

White pelican

has a nine-foot wingspan.

But the spoonbill is pink!

 

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January 13: Sunset at Myakka Lake State Park

Neither our close presence

nor the trumpeting cranes

spooked the feeding doe.

 

Sunset over Myakka Lake

 

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January 12: Stump Pass Beach State Park

Finding sharks' teeth

among the shells--

childhood memory revived.

Here's my grandfather and I collecting sharks' teeth in 1980 at nearby Englewood Beach

Here's my mom collecting sharks' teeth today

January 11: Flight to Florida

After Bangor was enshrouded by ice yesterday morning and our flight was delayed five hours, we felt very fortunate to be on the only plane leaving the airport that afternoon. Our gratitude was bolstered by the fact that on the drive to the airport we passed many cars off the road--even after conditions had improved--and when we got there, we were surrounded by hundreds of troops--men and women who had been deployed for months overseas and who were now going to have to wait one more long day to continue their flights home to family.

 

I felt relief tinged with a little guilt when we finally arrived in the warm embrace of Florida late last night for our vacation.

 

Outside the airport

Killdeer cries in the rainy dark

beyond the palms.

 

And then this unexpected stopover on the drive to my mother's house:

 

Part of this happy crowd--

cheering on the Patriots

in a smoky Hooters bar.

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January 10: Woodpecker tree

At Beech Hill Preserve today came upon a large dead tree, still standing, which has been vigorously attended to by a Pileated Woodpecker this winter. The bark-less trunk is pitted with extensive excavation work, and piles of fresh wood chips surround its snowy base.

Every day the woodpecker
returns for more.
I understand that hunger.

January 9: Hibernation

Reading about
hibernating bears
my eyelids grow heavy.

January 8: Breath

It blooms from my mouth,

this stuff of life--

vapor, then nothing.

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January 7: Landscape of home

Driving Route One south from Belfast this afternoon, enjoyed the brief, wan sunlight shining on the gray winter waters of the bay and the familiar line-up of islands that I've recognized since childhood.

Same islands in the bay
that as a child I named
from my grandmother's porch.

January 6: Sliding in to work on rain-slick ice

As e.e. cummings said,
"let all go dear
so comes love."

January 5: Beach birding

Pine Point Beach, Scarborough, ME

Perfect winter beach day:
horses on the sand,
loons in the scope.

January 4: House Sparrow conclave

Suddenly they're there:
hundreds of sparrows
arise from the bird-less hedge.

January 3: Old moon in the new moon's arms

After the storm clears,
bright crescent moon revealed
in startling clarity.

January 2: Cancelled trip

Two below. Snow falls
all day. I imagine
being on that boat.

January 1, 2014: Auspicious

After we find

a rare duck,

she finds a $10 bill.

 

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