Poem

All the mornings, I've learned
early on, are good--but it's especially so
when I see the hummingbird
in his blue house, on his leafy
furniture (for, like me,
he favours one chair, and can
usually be found there.)

This day I found him
hung in the air as a single
ornament, then climb up
on the whirr and might
of his wings, to go sit
in an unusual, high cedar.

From further away I saw the red
flashing lure of his breast,
and had a wonderful thought:
that he'd chosen this perch
for its bounty of light,
out of vanity or necessity
(likely a little of both--and also whimsy!)
so as to spark up that ruby fire;

and I wonder where she is,
the little lady
deserving of such a display,
for it certainly cannot be me.

Requiescat In Pace

Died this day, my maternal grandfather, Joseph Lapointe, for whom the woods had no secrets.

Excuses, excuses...

My excuse for not posting in so incredibly long is that I've been having work-related wrist issues, and that typing at home on my laptop could only serve to aggravate matters. I have now changed computers, the better to blog with, and so, hello, I'm back.

As a proof of my goodwill here's a Merton quote that is sort of a mission statement for myself and this kinda silly but really rather grand online pursuit:

"My own personal task is not simply that of poet and writer; it is basically to praise God out of an inner circle of silence, gratitude, and 'awareness.' This can be done in a life that apparently accomplishes nothing. Without centering on accomplishment or nonaccomplishment, my task is simply the breathing of this gratitude from day to day, in simplicity, and for the rest turning my head to whatever comes, work being part of praise, whether splitting wood or writing poems, or best of all simple notes."


And here's a new Mary Oliver poem for your delight and thrill:

Song of the Builders

On a summer morning
I sat down
on a hillside
to think about God--

a worthy pastime.
Near me, I saw
a single cricket;
it was moving the grains of the hillside

this way and that way.
How great was its energy
how humble its effort.
Let us hope

it will always be like this,
each of us going on
in our inexplicable ways
building the universe.