August — An Image

An artfully altered photo of a reed and flower filled meadow, with tower cattails.
“Rattlesnake Meadow, August” — C.Birde, 8/21

“I will lounge…”

she extended her limbs,

“…in all my cholorophylled,

green-gold glory

& drink August

to its last,

sweet

dregs.”

— C.Birde, 8/21

Goldfinch — A Poem

An artfully altered photo of a male American Goldfinch, perched amongst a bed of blooming wildflowers.
“Goldfinch” — C.Birde, 8/21

Too slight

to bend

the primrose stem,

They perch –

small bright motes

of yellow light –

and pluck

the coneflowers’

seeded

crowns.

— C.Birde, 8/21

Tilt — An Image

An artfully altered photo of leaves and branches, swirled together at the center.
“Swirl” — C.Birde, 8/21

“Remember?

When first

we beheld

one another?”

She rustled

& sighed.

“How the world

tilted ‘round

our axis…”

— C.Birde, 8/21

Summer Slice — A Poem

An artfully altered photo of sliced peaches on a white plate.
“Peaches” — C.Birde, 8/21

Gluttonous of peaches –

I am grasping

  greedy

    miserly to shameful

degree.

“Let the juice run down

the chin”?

Nonsense.

Folly.

Shameful profligacy.

Serrated knife peels

brushed-velvet skin,

slices slim bright grins

from deep-grooved

stone.

Like myth & love,

I swallow whole.

Every liquid vein,

each mouthful –

  mine alone.

    Savor

      savor…

Ingest

the whole of Summer’s

transient warmth,

ward against impending

cold.

— C.Birde, 8/21

Wander — An Image

An artfully altered photo of a meadow, towering in a bloom of coneflowers, tickseed, black-eyed Susans, and evening Primrose.
“Meadow” — C.Birde, 8/21

“Go,

Stray,

Wander

as you must &

as you need…”

Her voice vined,

fruited

with wild grapes.

“When you return,

I will

astonish.”

— C.Birde, 8/21

Descendant — A poem

An artfully altered photo, looking up through the interwoven crosshatch of leaves and branches of a burning bush.
“Flameless Burning Bush” — C.Birde, 7/21

She made no sound

Waited to be seen

within the flameless

burning bush

Shadow on shadow

Soot and smoke

Avian stroke of song

unsung

Each note contained

nested in gray breast

Then, as suddenly, seen

— a revelation perched

on gray-green twist

of twig.

— C.Birde, 7/21

Wood & Light — An Image

An artfully altered photo of a sun-stroked woodland.
“Wood & Light” — C.Birde, 7/21

“Hold me —

always —

in your heart…”

She smoothed

fern-laced fingertips

over my brow.

“…for those moments

when it all

feels

too

much.”

— C.Birde, 7/21

Sweet Clover — An Image

An artfully altered close-up photo of a single white clover blossom.
“Sweet Clover” — C.Birde, 7/21

“I am vast,

expansive…

I am the smallest

of small…”

She tilted

a smile.

“I am

– like you –

a pleasant contradiction

of selves.”

— C.Birde, 7/21

Bee Tree Psalm — A Poem

An artfully altered photo, looking up through the sunlit branches of a Linden Tree, aka American Basswood, aka Bee Tree.
“Bee Tree (Linden)” — C.Birde, 6/21

“Come,”

he said,

and lead me out

beneath the bee tree’s dome.

We stood together,

wreathed

in sweet saturated scent and

downward-descending drift

of apiarian song woven through

that namesake tree’s

flower-pricked upswept

boughs.

And we were one,

and we were one,

and we are ever

one.

— C.Birde, 6/21

Hmmmm… — A Poem

An artfully altered close-up photo of a bee pollinating pink spirea flowers.
“Hmmm…” — C.Birde, 6/21

Apiarian hum among

spirea wands as bees

– carelessly, casually –

rearrange clusters of

blushing flowerheads

to their liking.

— C.Birde, 6/21