Resurrection

A little water brings life. A little music brings hope. Two poems written in 2020.

Wisteria

It hung dead 
A dried stick 
snaking up 
the trellis
a splash of water
woke up roots
spurred leaves
to curl upward
another splash
thrust it over the top
a year or two
a tiny bud
ventured 
into the sun
shy among leaves
barely to be seen
by human eyes
year by year
water and little else
it sprang 
from the dead.

Sage Thrasher

Desert Songbird

First a trill then a buzz
Followed by a melody
Worthy of Mozart
Its calls and whistles
Slides and crescendoes
Soothe my anxious heart
Lifting my spirit
Above the morass
Of this failing year. 
It sings for me a while more 
Then flies down valley.
Soon I hear its song again
Muted by distant miles
To grace another garden door.
Its dull grey plumage
Hides the brilliance
Within its avian breast
Among all birds 
That rest in my trees
I cherish this one best.

Ray Boren, a friend of mine from my Deseret News days, sent this link of a Sage Thrush singing his little heart out. It’s from the collection of bird songs from the Cornell Ornithology Lab. They have some great programs for “backyard scientists.” For years, I reports the number of species of birds that came to my winter feeding station in Truckee, CA. What fun that was!

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If you enjoyed these poems, feel free to explore the Ring Around the Basin Archive. If so inclined, please share your thoughts. Let’s start a conversation.

My novel, Ghost in the Forest, is available in paperback and kindle formats HERE.