Surprise

Somehow the blooming, budding

strawberries in a street-side garden

were a jolt of awareness─

we are truly past winter now,

even though the rain continues

and gray skies are nearly as common

as sunny and blue.

Sweet possession

A child dropped his mandarin orange

on the playground sidewalk.

Mom said, “No, don’t pick it up”.

Within minutes it was a glorious feast

for a house fly on an outing. Or,

a beautiful resting place.

Warmth to protect

Yesterday, on a chilly outing

with friends, we saw at the edge of a parking lot

two small, stubby cats entwined on the pavement.

Love making? No, I realized that one cat

was very ill and the other was using its warmth

to protect. Heartbreaking, yet heart affirming.

Note: this feral cat was not one of the cats in this observation,

but one that I had encountered a couple of weeks ago.

A matter of perspective

a young dove overhead

watching me with curiosity:

a reminder that this gray day

offers interesting perspectives--

if I look for them

After satsang

Reaching skyward,

aspiration made concrete.

The daily task:

rising from separateness,

seems diaphanous

and often slipping away.

A bubble

The day seems evanescent,

perhaps breakable, certainly fragile.

Just floating and waiting,

looking for cause or reason.

The lesson: just be.

Pollen blessed

An untidy row of tulips

most wide open in the early sun.

One fully occupied…a lazing,

pollen-blessed bee

starting Spring’s work,

with Winter not quite gone.

Spring can be gray

Stub ends of last year’s reeds

pushing through a vernal pool.

Summer’s crushing aridity and heat

will provide a new crop of sticks next Spring.

The seasons here are reflected in such plain things,

sometimes. Not everything is green or blooming

to welcome us into a time of rebirth.