Saturday, May 31, 2014

May 31: Trail run

The two startled deer
move through the trees
with so much more grace than I.

Friday, May 30, 2014

May 30: Maple leaves like fat green hands

Warbler sings unseen
from behind the screen of leaves.
I've waited for this.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

May 29: Nest

I was wrong in my May 26 post. The Blue Jays really did build a nest over our front door while we were away, and now she's up there brooding on eggs! I think of the classic haiku poet Issa, his compassion toward the spiders and other creatures that lived with him...

Please use the back door.
Mother jay is sitting tight
on three eggs out front.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

May 28: Pedicure

Three weeks till summer--
bare feet in wet grass,
freshly polished toe nails.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

May 27: Rain again

In this greener world
it's easier to bear
more rain. 

Monday, May 26, 2014

May 26: Home again

Relieved that the jays
abandoned their nest-building
over our front door.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

May 25: Rare bird

This morning a Brewer's Sparrow flew in to the island. This bird breeds in the west, nowhere near here, and has never been recorded in Maine--it's only been seen seven times in the entire Northeast. We got good long looks at it down by the Ice Pond, along with many other birders securing photographic evidence.
 
Errant sparrow
calmly eats dandelion seeds
as the cameras whirr.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

May 24: Day's end

Lace curtain blowing.
Robins compete with
someone practicing French horn.

Friday, May 23, 2014

May 23: Monhegan twilight

Woodcock's sky dance--
lighthouse beam sweeping over
the two of us, the bird.

Monhegan Island, view from the lighthouse

Monhegan Island Light

Thursday, May 22, 2014

May 22: Lawnmower, Early evening

Lawnmower's drone--
I could fall asleep right now
dreaming of summer.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

May 21: Trillium

Led a bird walk this morning for Coastal Mountains Land Trust at the Ducktrap River Preserve: drumming grouse, gobbling turkeys, warblers, and spring's early wildflowers--which are as much a joy to see again as the birds.
While birds sing above,
faces of old friends
shine on the forest floor.

Painted Trillium
Red Trillium

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

May 20: Violets

When I was a child, my grandmother, whom I called Nana Ruth or Nan, would send me out in spring to pick a bouquet of white violets from the lawn. That was my thing. A fistful fit perfectly in a special little vase she had.
 
I can't mow the lawn--
the masses of white violets
remind me of Nan.

Monday, May 19, 2014

May 19: Warbler wave

This morning as I was leaving for work, I stopped to look at a bird in the backyard and realized that dozens of warblers were flitting through the new leaves, a wave of beauty and song.

The best part:
the way they moved,
singing, through the trees.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

May 18: Overgrown

Only away three days
but dandelions
already fill the lawn.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

May 17: Cathedral Woods

Deep in the woods
where the rain can't reach:
kinglets' songs.
 

Friday, May 16, 2014

May 16: On island

Robin's song, cries of gulls,
cold wind and crashing waves--
island twilight.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

May 14: Leafing out

Backyard maple leaves unfurl,
hands opening
to offer spring's blessings.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

May 13: Kale popcorn

Can't get enough kale popcorn--
guess I'm still starved
for spring greenery.
 

Monday, May 12, 2014

May 12: Early morning

Natural alarm clock:
open bedroom window,
dawn patrol of geese.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

May 11: Ospreys

Ah, life on the coast of Maine...
 
No longer on an island
but an osprey
still cries overhead.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

May 10: Owlets

Took the boat shuttle across the harbor to Vinalhaven this foggy afternoon to meet up with our friend Kirk, who took us deep into the mossy woods on private property to see a Great Horned Owl nest with two fuzzy owlets in it. We also glimpsed both adults keeping a close eye on us, making sure we didn't get too close.
As if covered with lichen--
fuzzy owl nestlings
waiting in the fog.
 
 

Friday, May 9, 2014

May 9: North Haven

My husband and I are spending the weekend on the island of North Haven in Penobscot Bay.
 
We walked in the rain
after I woke from a nap.
Everything felt new.
 

Thursday, May 8, 2014

May 8: Blackflies

Even the blackflies
(not yet biting)
are a welcome sign of spring.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

May 7: Mortality

A friend recently lost her father. While a death is almost always hard to take, it seems especially difficult to deal with when the whole world around you is so blatantly coming back to life.

So hard--
planning a funeral
while tulips are budding.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

May 6: Lucky day

Seen out my office window:
bluebird,
crow playing with a feather.

Monday, May 5, 2014

May 5: Before sunset

After work, after my run,
I head to the river--
Paul's there fishing.

Friday, May 2, 2014

Thursday, May 1, 2014

May 1: May begins with rain

I want to shelter it
in my cupped hands--
rain-bedraggled chickadee.