present

the cusp of morning

a light south westerly
stirs the grass

a chorus of sparrows
comb the garden for breakfast

crows convene counsel
to debate their daily plans

I lay on my side -
present in this moment -
quietly plucking plump blueberries
from their leafy bushels

wedding at dawn

Sunday morning. The percolator officiates the marriage of vanilla and cinnamon. A chickadee-dee-dee-dee sings its pleasant recessional. The ensuing dance is delightful and soon the marriage is consummated in a wash of eggs and milk on a bed made of whole grains. Nine minutes later, breakfast is born.

balms

Darkening clouds chase the sun peeping around the curtains. Could be rain or wind or both but it doesn’t matter, because the scent of your hair occupying the corner of my pillow and the warmth of your skin next to mine are balms for the heart and soul.

I never take for granted 
day's arrival through an open window
weeping of passing clouds
wind chasing the compass
the love we share

for your 246th birthday

America, 2022
home of the mass shooting -
314 in 186 days

America
born out of violence
raised on slavery and appropriation

America
with inside pockets
of white supremacy

America
land of the 'free'
as long as you are not 
female, trans, non-white
or among the more than 
22,000 killed by guns
so far this year

America
an empire 
eating itself from within
as empires do

a biblical eye…

As children are being buried, the NRA’s Republican Party want more guns to combat increasing gun violence, as was suggested at their recent NRA Convention (which took place days following the horrific massacre could you be more blatantly insensitive?). Am I completely off my rocker for thinking that this is counterintuitive? Do these pro-gun advocates truly believe that adding more guns will solve this problem bubbling throughout America? Are they that far removed from reality to think it is okay for a teenager to buy assault rifles? I mean, really, what the hell does anyone outside a military or police force need assault rifles for? What is the practical use of these weapons outside of controlled shooting at a range or for collection at a museum with shooting mechanisms removed? If your answer is anything contrary to ‘NOTHING” then you, too, are part of the problem.

I grew up with guns around the house. They were always locked up and ammunition was stored separately. Carrying a firearm was permitted as long as you had a permit to carry it during hunting seasons. Of course, there were restrictions: no assault weapons or handguns. We took our guns out when we needed to procure wild game to fill our freezers. And, we were permitted to carry them to the firing range for practice. I am fairly certain that the American Amendment allowing for the right to bear arms is rooted in time and place, when it was necessary for the creation of a militia to protect the new union following the great revolution. It was constituted at a time of American expansion east to west. That makes sense. But does it make sense today?

Perhaps it does. Perhaps America is such a wildly dangerous place that it’s necessary to fill your home with guns and to carry enough weapons and ammunition with you to take care of the high number of racist, bigoted, hateful crazies out there. The former President believes so and suggested that fencing in schools and setting up a gate with armed guards, is necessary. However, it is more likely that this eye-for-an-eye approach is not the way to go and will lead to even more blindness. I predict that gun violence will continue to increase and thousands more innocent lives will be loss if America does not change its gun laws.

As I continue to mourn the loss of innocent souls in America, I count my blessings for being able to live in a country where firearms regulations are strict and access is limited. God bless the families of those lost to gun violence.

c o w a r d s

cowards hide
behind amendments
sell their souls
to the NRA
and collect dividends
in the form of
children's blood
which stains the hands
of every single lawmaker
who refuses to stand
against weak gun control
and supports the right to murder

worlds collide

there's a world
beyond the pane

where crows 
indulge
in puddles 
still being filled

where otters 
play
on oddly shaped pans
of bay ice

where a bald eagle
feasts 
on a weak
common murre 

there's a world
beyond the hills and Atlantic

where life and death
are forced to engage 
in games
in which everyone loses

and then there's this world
on this side of the pane

where morning is filled
with the tantalizing scent 
of coffee brewing
and the sound of a cat 
peacefully purring
on my lap

envelope

without a stamp,
but safely sealed
within foggy edges
where warm air
passes over 
Arctic ice 
pressing against
eroded shorelines,
this envelope
shields me from
what I prefer to never
see, hear, taste, feel... know
for all I need -
now and in perpetuity -
is already here

vernal equinox

sun
   baby blue sky
still water

ballycaters* recede
   unafraid of encroaching shorelines

remaining snow, weeps
   for winter's passing

even the dead grass 
   springs from hibernation

*Ballycaters are ice formations that gather around shorelines as ocean water freezes. They become a barrier between sea and land. 

peace and harmony

six robins forage
through dense juniper bushes
picking the frozen berries
left behind after late summer harvests
while close by
in a neighbour's driveway -
that looks more like a frozen tundra -
three crows, twelve starlings and a lone squirrel 
scurry to gather seeds
scattered by peaceful hands

here, far from the madding crowds
far from the violence
far from the extremism that chokes our world
there is peace and harmony
between so many different creatures
and a lesson
if one wishes to heed it