KateMcCarrollMoore

A Snowy Egret lives in the creek beside my office.
Sometimes he sits alone on the fence.
Sometimes he stands by the water’s edge.
Waiting
Waiting
Watching
Waiting
Sometimes I see him flying, white wings open, still.
Soaring
Soaring
Gliding
Soaring
I read once that some believe it’s good luck to spot an egret in flight.
They say that egrets will take your worries and carry them away.
I feel that hopeful spirit in my soul today.
Waiting, watching for my Snowy Egret to reappear.
Watching, waiting for him to soar overhead,                                                                                  my worries resting on his graceful open wings.

(Day 18: 1 subject 30 ways #repetitionpoem)

Safeway parking lot

early morning, almost light

lone duck waddle-wanders

between the lines

across the vast,

through sudden puddles –

aimless and unhurried

while we rush past

(Day 17: 1 Subject 30 Ways #settingpoem)

In the beginning

Was the word

And the word

Became a bird

Majestic and strong, swift and fleet

A kettle of hawks

A gaggle of geese

A murder of crows

A flush of quail

A shimmer of hummingbirds

A scold of jays

A banditry of chickadees

Singing in trees

They’re loud and loquacious

They dazzle and daze

The birds in the world bring

Winged life to our days

(Day 16: 1 subject 30 ways #wordplaypoem)

The routine sameness of the drive to work

Sorting through the day ahead

This, then that, this, then that

Next to me, great blue heron

Gliding along, matching me mile for mile

Startles me back into a larger life,

Awakened

(Day 15: 1 subject 30 ways #onewordendingpoem)

Something flickered

I caught a glimpse

of swooping grace and wings

a world of wonder

with yellow eyes

staring right at me

The hawk became my teacher

These are my lessons learned

Be a keen observer

Pay attention to each breeze

Soar with courage

Move with ease

Listen loud to every silence,

Measure every sound

Be fierce

Be graceful

Ever grateful

Ever present

Every moment

Ever mindful

Ever sure and ever steady

Ever ready

To live these lessons from a hawk

(Day 14: 1 subject 30 words #titlefromtextpoem)

My grandpa walked out of the nursing home

Wandered a mile away

Stood on the corner and spun all around

Which way is home? he fretted, he wondered, he worried

Just like the little brown bird

that showed up this morning, hopping frantically

under desks, beneath tables

over extension cords and power cords strewn like snakes

across the carpeted landscape

confusing and confounding

– a little brown bird

frantically pacing like my lost grandpa

looking for a way out, trying to find his way home.

(Day 13: 1 subject 30 days #similepoem)

Two beautiful bald eagles

Majestic and strong

Built a nest

High in a redwood tree

Raised a hatchling there

Taught it to spread its wings

Then they all disappeared

A year passed

They were all off somewhere else doing eagle things

Yesterday, two beautiful bald eagles

Returned

Alone

Majestic and strong

Same nest

Same tree

Preparing to hatch an addition

to their family

They’ll teach him to fly

And show him the world

A year will pass…

(Day 12: 1 subject 30 ways #timepoem)

That noble hawk watching from the lightpole

Messenger from the otherside

This is the year that my father died.

This is the year that I put pen to paper

Bird scratch across the empty pages

Trying to capture a lifetime

A lifetime, then, oh,

The great unknown.

I wake to the smell of coffee
And the realization
Again
That you are not of this world
No longer of this world

I write down memories
I say your name
I study birds in the morning sky
In the hope that I can keep you alive.

Already you are fading
Disappearing
Day turns to deep dark night
And my brother asks for signs

I only ask for answers
What is permanent?  What is real?

(Day 11: 1 subject 30 ways #beliefpoem)

I have been writing on 1 subject (birds) all month, following the prompts posted on @amylvpoemfarm’sblog. Today’s poem was written in response to today’s prompt although it was written 2 years ago.

The hummingbird was

humming at the feeder

I was at the kitchen sink

The bird looked up and saw me there

Hummed a beeline straight for me

He didn’t see the window

He hit it with such force

It shook and rattled loudly

And knocked him off his course

He landed with an awful thud

Still and dazed he froze there

A perfect silhouette

My heart was pounding fiercely

As I worried what came next

Just like that, he shook it off

A moment passed in wonder, then

Just a little worse for wear

He seemed to wave goodbye

With a fierce buzz and hum

Humbled bird  was at once

Re-humming at the feeder

(Day 10: 1 Subject 30 Ways #circularpoem)

I picked up a bundle of something

That rolled right past me on my walk

Some yarn and some twigs and mysterious things

Held together with nothing but air

I turned it over a time or two

Until it became obvious

I held in my hands an unfinished nest

Tossed aground from some branches above

Some questions resound

with a definitive yes

Some others that just repeat why

Did a bird up and leave in the midst of its work?

Did a fledgling forget how to fly?

I carried it home and made space on the shelf

Of trinkets and treasures I own

A reminder there’s beauty in things that aren’t done

And answers that never are known

(Day 9: 1 subject 30 ways #questionpoem)