Poetry and Baby Quail

Excerpted from my June 2023 newsletter. 

Poetry

My poem “Every day something new” was published in the Spring 2023 edition of Synkroniciti Magazine. The theme of this issue is Curiosity.

Every day something new

Even on the drabbest of mornings I hope for it.
To notice atoms arranged differently.
For something I’ve walked past
a hundred times to unfold itself anew: 

the way seed pods move up the stems of the toothwort.
A hummingbird catching flies in a swift arc.
New ferns greener with young growth.
The pace of the clanking flagpoles on a windy day.
The purpling of spent shooting star flowers.
Even the sound of my own thoughts rubbing against
the most familiar neighborhood street signs. 

Each day a self
I’ve never met before
glows inside my ribs.
It’s there when
I open myself
to the sweet orb
of attention.
If I look.
If I listen.

It can feel so easy to move through my little world, assuming the things I encounter (including myself!) are static, firm, eternal. Writing this poem helped me remember how much everything around me is changing all the time, and to delight in staying present to the changes. 

Synkroniciti publishes quarterly magazines and all the written pieces are laid out beautifully over gorgeous photos and art. They work with some amazing writers and artists. Check them out, if you’d like, and subscribe to support their work.

Spotted around the yard: Baby quail

It’s baby quail season out here and I’ve been delightedly watching the fluffy ping-pong-ball sized-birds make their way through the poppies and the vegetable garden around 4pm each day, eating plants and seeds. I hope you enjoy this somewhat blurry photograph of these tiny, fascinating, adorable, and well-camouflaged birds.