that Thursday morning,
while ordinary elsewhere,
emerged here with such joy –
so bright and thick,
one could lean upon it
an homage to light,
the bending heads of yarrow
and the exuberant flash
of fireweed rose late
above the grasses with
grace beyond speaking
it is just as well I left
my voice at home
© Sarah Whiteley
I wake well before dawn
so that I might walk
with the mist and the fog,
each of us finding
our own path up the peak
yet loving the damp bark
of the lofty cypress
in precisely the same way –
like light suddenly unbound,
eagerly embracing all
it can and cannot name
those who would say
a mountain does not breathe
have never placed their feet
where feet have not yet been –
have never found the river
that flows into the mountain
and does not come out again
© Sarah Whiteley
My newest chapbook Wandering Wonderful is now available for pre-order from Finishing Line Press. Pre-orders through March 22nd will have an opportunity to win a canvas print of the cover art. Click for details!
Coyote rests on the fence post –
clucking and bobbing,
he does not hide his pleasure
from the April sunshine
we sit on the side porch –
laughing at crow antics
over a well-worn cribbage board,
my hair becoming tangled
in the ivy on the wall
© Sarah Whiteley
A lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon – enjoying a break from Saturday’s rain. Coyote chose to join us and was so obviously happy basking in the sunshine, it was almost comical. Our new-ish neighbor stumbled upon us and no doubt is wondering if we’ve both gone senile, talking to a crow. Ah well – keep them guessing, I say!
Have a beautiful week, my friends!
upside-down sparrows
clown their delight
in bright berries –
all thronging songs
and fluffed-up browns –
bending stems in
ravenous affection
to the ground
© Sarah Whiteley
I’ve been watching the sparrows and robins attack the red berries across the street – no idea what the bush is, but it seems to bear their weight with good humor at least, always bouncing back and never breaking. I get a kick out of the sparrows especially, as they seem to have no concept of right-side up in the midst of their feasting frenzy – completely comical!
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! And I’ll be swinging by shortly to catch up on some reading!
Cheers!
ebbtide 