feed
such a pretty moment
when I got
to sit in a friend’s chair
sipping guest
coffee
watching and hearing birds
around the feeders
and of these
there was a small brown
and
a black one
and I wish I knew more
as
my grandfather knew
who
charted birds
when the Department
of Interior had
been
formed
yet I don’t know the species
sigh
there was a bird with a bright hood
which was a woodpecker
I think
and one flyer a small pigeon to
me
anyway
and there came a squirrel
which did not
scurry anything away
but
picked at the ground with its paws
the ways the birds
had used
their beaks
and
through air on branches
on the earth
so maybe everyone got satisfied
and also
was pleased
thanks
friend
for the chair
the coffee
and the hour
so
I could think
My Lord
what a morning
as fresh sun strikes the trees
and feeding happened
for
the birds and other critters
in metal branches
and what is
tied
all over and on
for gleaning of the sun-rinsing
ground
c l couch
photo by Bill Pennell on Unsplash
(x = space)
x
x
two more brief poems today
x
x
Black Branches
x
The squirrel ran criss-cross
Up the branches
x
Zig-zag ladder
I certainly had not noticed
Upon
Looking out
Into the dark-grey day
x
The squirrel’s smart
Good legs
The tail helps
x
And the creature’s
Totally
Impulsively involved with nature
To be so in tune
With all vibrations
x
Must be astounding
To have so much
Ordinary
Magic
x
x
8 to try
x
Hanukkah tonight
starts
8 days for a miracle
x
what if
we try this for our
universal selves
x
8 days for peace
before they arrive
that is
something
outside ourselves
to judge
x
pretend
there is a deadline
x
find out
how far we get
then let it stay
for real
beyond 8
you know
as long as we can
or may
x
8 and more
as if the world
were at stake
which
you know
it is
x
x
Photo by Mila Tovar on Unsplash
x
x
C L Couch
x
(x = space)
x
x
haiku
x
1
slow nature inside
plants grow in unsure seasons
ours darkness or light
x
2
unsurely outside
winter by a calendar
summer another
x
3
creature on a branch
cardinal or squirrel set
then fly or skitter
x
C L Couch
x
x
(like those earlier, these haiku can relate to each other, though I doubt there is a rule about connection; or each haiku may stand alone, which I guess is more traditional)
x
Photo by Vincent van Zalinge on Unsplash
x
Slow Glass
The birds are quiet today
The sky is still
Precursors to rain, perhaps
Earlier, I saw a squirrel outside the window
On a lower branch
The animal stopped, gray arches for
Its back and a brushy tail
Turned one way and then another
We, smaller beast and I, looked at each other
For a while
Already out of reach
We could afford to stare
Now we might serve as memories
To each other, through the glass
C L Couch
“Light of Other Days” is a science fiction short story by Irish writer Bob Shaw. It was originally published in August 1966 in Analog Science Fiction and Fact. The story uses the idea of “slow glass”: glass through which light takes years to pass. Bob Shaw used this idea again in later stories.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_of_Other_Days
Photo by Daniel McCullough on Unsplash
We Can Play
A squirrel and a bird play
In the tree
At least that’s how it looks
And sounds
The bird flies up; the squirrel follows
The sounds of chirping and chittering
Sound friendly,
As if I’d know
Though I know the difference between
A purr and a hiss
Ears up or ears laid back
The growl that leads to the bark
So I’m going to call it
Playing
There is no better way to spend
An early morning
If you’re a squirrel or a bird
So let’s pretend
We are squirrels or birds
C L Couch
Photo by Rowan Heuvel on Unsplash
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