all the questions

seem like good ones now —

starlings by the treeful

house sparrows

side by side in a shadow —

no secrets stay kept

when we’re apart

my mind fills in your voice —

come closer, will you?

dark sky, black branches —

the screech owl lets us know

she was here first

lingering heat

like a weighted blanket —

only the birds move

when the land we stand on

has only ever been stolen —

where does freedom live?

rudbeckia seeds

last season’s supernova —

we make our own light

out after dinner —

fireflies showing us

how to synch up

pandemic summer —

I practice smiling

with my eyes

thunder’s slow growl —

the trees turn their backs

thirsty but proud

hoagies for dinner —

no one left to ask me

how long a roll I want

sun-saturated

goldfinches above the field

flexing level changes

after the climb

the view of the long valley

and the next hill

maybe a tulip bed?

we cast our lines

into the future

settling in at dusk

heedless of their pull on us —

red-tailed hawks

a doe and her fawns —

she picks through the gardens

explaining choices

great blue heron

casually flaunting its prowess

on one leg

clouds and their shadows —

I feel your feelings

over here

Eastern Kingbird

snatching her meal from the air

with dizzying ease

fireflies and lovers

lighting the way

for each other

apple pancakes —

I make my father’s specialty

for my son

air like a damp towel —

the storm pulls up a chair

and decides to stay

uprooting

the last of the poison ivy —

we think ahead to fall

tree swallows —

swooping back in wide circles

just because they can

drifting downriver

my hand dangling overboard —

summer lets down her hair

knowing from the song

just who’s come to call —

red-winged blackbird

forged in fire —

the familiar feeling

of fighting back hope

statues coming down

as fireworks explode —

sparks in search of fuel

aspen leaves

toying with the wind —

my fingers in her hair

grandmothers and toddlers

walking in sun-warmed water —

the bay at low tide

busy robins

announcing themselves

to a purple sky