I start with parks,
Unassuming grassy expanses
Rimmed with palms, perhaps
With a pond or playground
I graduate to preserves
Larger ponds, sometimes with
Geese, always with ducks
I walk along its paved paths
Or rocky byways, but I
Run into the road
The sounds of cars inescapable
Beyond the quacks and honks
And rustling of untrimmed mesquites
I try a "hike", more of a
Stroll through the stones of a
Great, holey hill
I lose track of my impromptu
Guides, so I take the easy route
It leads to he canal, another
Reminder of man's hubris in the
Desert biome I now call home
I was born to a land of true wilds,
Of old growth forests protected by
Fences, yes, but standing proud, uncut
I was born to hills, and creeks, and
Bushes bursting with black berries,
Counting the stars on a clear night,
Camping in the back yard,
Craning our necks to watch deer
And woodpeckers working
To hear bats screech under the new moon
I sit on a plastic bench, molded like wood
I watch men fish at stocked ponds,
I hope the sounds of motorcycles
Doesn't scare their catch,
But these creatures are likely as
Trained to the sounds as the grackles
Are to rooting through trash
I pray that the little natures around me
Remain un-golfed, and undeveloped
That the canal can yet give rest to cormorants,
That the bougainvilleas can shelter the sparrows,
That what little respect my new home has
For its many gifts can yet be preserved,
For the sake of the hikers, the birds,
The saguaros, even the God-given rocks
I pray for all of these things with my one
Little soul, with all the nature within,
Though futile my tiny words may be
To the unrelenting force of mankind's
Unending greed and craving for more,
More, more
Take only photos, leave only footprints,
The mantra of the visitor
To nature's stoop.
We tread lightly on our mother's carpet,
The grass or soil or sand deforms
Under shoe or sole.
We watch as our cousins trot or sway or chirp
As our brother sets on the horizon,
Brilliant and silent.
Together are we on our little world, starstuff all.
As much of the ground or sky
As we are each other.
Watch as the stars rearrange themselves,
See the passing of eras, young ones,
Rise to your feet and behold.
The joys of just opening a window
affirmations
i am a complex organism brutally engineered by uncaring forces of nature
i am a product of billions of years and trillions of deaths
i am building a machine greater than myself
i am able to make phone calls and appointments
the quietude of things, tathev simonyan
windows open season. waking up to birdsong season. smelling the dewy grass season. twirling in a long skirt season. life feels worth living again season. taking all of my meals outside of possible season. reasoning how far I can get by bike ride and pedaling out anyway season.
Sleeping in and breakfast
Shower and coffee
Not necessarily in that order
Walking to the bus
Walking from the bus
Working
Working
Working
Sometimes sitting down,
Sometimes working
Walking to the bus
Walking from the bus
*
Cooking
Gazing into the abyss
Screaming into the void
YouTube
Sleeping
*Optional (but not so):
Migraine, Joint pain, Irritability, Talking