nature

June 15, 2021

/ HJ / Leave a comment

figuring out our foundations;
both of us grew up
just outside of a suburban border
(not quite country)
and staying in green
with bugs
and wildlife
and stars and sky
feels so good

but also,
after a year and a half in The City
(The City that Never Sleeps, The Big Apple, The Greatest City in the World)
we can’t imagine living anywhere else.
we would miss the convenience of walking to get everywhere,
an actually useful public transportation system,
the resilience of all the people,
observing those completely unlike you
(and seeing dozens of people exactly like you,
no matter how unique you think you are)

(how quickly New York steals your heart)

June 13, 2021 (part 2)

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our dog
is a beach dog
but not an ocean dog

although

she treats the sand like snow,
rolling around in it,
licking it up and eating it,
rolling around some more in order to get out of her eyes that sand from the first roll

and even though we had to pull her away from that joy,
and even though we had to rinse out her eyes so they would stop swelling,
it was worth it to see her jump around like a puppy
(and to see folks’ faces erupt in surprise when we tell them
“this dog is thirteen years old [today]!”)

~~~

i didn’t realize
love languages show up
so early

but damn if that
less-than-two-year-old
didn’t hand off his juice,
and blanket,
and bag of apples
the minute he decided
he liked us.

~~~

arriving home
far too late
making eye contact
with a young buck
as he munches on leaves,
hardly concerned we’re twenty feet away
(as my dog remains frozen with the decision
of whether to chase this creature
as friend or prey)

September 7, 2020

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when a small animal scratching from inside the walls
wakes you up like
your cat scratching at your apartment door
before six am

it is always a good idea to
heat up some coffee
and go outside with your kip and your dog
to watch the sun rise

(even if you can’t see the sun past the tree line)

what is it about
the rattle of an old farm house
basement heater
that makes me feel so
automatically
cozy?

September 6, 2020

/ HJ / Leave a comment

a hummingbird knocked on our window this morning
and invited us with her to a fairy grove

we splashed in the icy cool creek waters
and slid up and down the hill valley roads

the dog was not so sure about the mini waterfalls
and i was not so sure about the steep decline

but before it gets too cold and snowy up here
it’s nice to call Vermont a two-week home.