Unexpected Intersections

After another busy week, it feels like a good day for another mindful poem. This one, like the one I shared last month , is from the anthology, Poetry of Presence: An Anthology of Mindfulness Poems (edited by Phyllis Cole-Dai and Ruby R. Wilson).  Mind Wanting More by Holly J. Hughes Only a beige slat of sun above the horizon, like a shade pulled not quite down. Otherwise, clouds. Sea rippled here and there. Birds reluctant to fly. The mind wants a shaft of sun to stir the grey porridge of clouds, ... You can read the rest of the poem here .  This is one of my go-to poems when life gets busy. It reminds me that even the most hectic of days contain moments of joy and stillness, if I can slow down or stop for a moment to let myself see them. This week our Poetry Friday host is Buffy Silverman . Head on over to the Poetry Friday post to see what moments of joy and inspiration await you.

 Walks to the pond continue to be a highlight of our daily routine, even though we haven't seen any tadpoles for more than two weeks. When we last saw them, they were in the shallower end of the pond, where the reeds are more dense. This also happens to be as far away as they could get from the deepest part of the pond where the salamanders like to swim. The reeds have gotten quite tall so it's nearly impossible to tell if any tadpoles will survive to frog-dom.  There are five mature frogs living in the pond. They are quite entertaining to watch and listen to. They will have occasional spats over preferred spots for hanging out, but most of the time, they are resting lightly on plants, their little heads poking out of the water. Here are three of them, sunning themselves and enjoying the lily pads that have recently emerged. This week we were surprised to see a new animal in the pond.  At first I only saw the tail end of a slender body slipping between the rocks just in f...

Summer seems eager to usher spring out the door: the daylight is lasting longer, the temperatures are getting warmer, and everywhere we look, flowers are blooming. On every walk I'm delighted by wisteria, foxglove, candytuft, snowball viburnum and more. (Aren't flower names wonderfully poetic?) This week they mowed the grass at the park where we take our lunchtime walks. These patches of wildflowers that were left for the insects to enjoy inspired my poem this week. Our host today is Margaret at Reflections on the Teche . Click over to see what other poetic delights await you on this Poetry Friday.