long morning walk —
low hanging branches bless me
with leftover rain

the front yard bunny
calmly nibbles a souvenir
from our garden

humming to myself
with no idea of the tune —
my wife hums it back

clouds on their way out —
wind-tossed leaves gracing us with
a second-round rain

new growth 

showing off in brighter green

all the light it gathered

grateful for this day
when saplings filled out enough
to offer some shade

come drop another
stepping stone into the creek —
look out, crayfish!

just two weeks
from hatching to flying —
busy fledgling cardinals

gardening at dusk —
we put the worms back
where we found them

what if the names
our parents gave us 
were temporary

front yard bunny
working its way down the edge
of our shared garden

warbling orioles
deftly weaving cattail tufts
into their nests

grackles in the yard
teaching Rosie a new word —
iridescent

strawberry season —
our smallest sharp paring knife
important again

after more rain
a fox visits to remind us
to stay hydrated

the rain picks back up
in the middle of the night —
we dream of rivers

starting to fall —
azalea petals giving in
to insistent rain

light enough now
to dig into more yard work
just after dinner

one last train whistle —
the clouds move off as well,
making space for stars

bamboo shoots —
we wonder if we could
borrow a panda

in the morning
we discovered that the deer
had found the tulips

second floor windows
opened up as it cools off —
night air tumbling down

wisteria vine
feeling its way to the roof
as we sleep

too worn out to move —
a squirrel just looking around
on this first hot day

cultivating softness —
we find a perfect spot for
the new pussywillow

Quaker meeting —
we and the birds birds leave silence
between messages

urban camouflage —
a red and black moth blends in
with the graffiti

white azaleas —
no sign yet 
of lightning bugs

so much splashing 
the bird bath needs refilling —
first days of May

stutter-step —
we only feel the earthquake
once we're standing still