cardinals coming and going—flying through the slats on the little side porch, eating at the feeder, drinking in the fountain
a single peony shimmering in the morning sun
cups of orange spice tea on cool nights
family gatherings with pineapple popsicles
glasses of deep red wine into the night
cool linen sheets for afternoon naps
I took a photo of the white tulips, a quick shot, a forgotten snap.
The next morning, I posed them on the table adding a canvas to the background, a candle in the foreground, lights on and lights off, an interesting book, some seashells.
In the end the best shot was the simple one I’d taken the day before, as I was headed for the dog leash and a late afternoon walk.
So much of life is like this, where the un-orchestrated is the most pleasing, the image that works.
Note to self: allow things to be themselves, independent, uncluttered and free— people, ideas, love, tulips.
you forgot her—
and it set the course of my life
glass hearts on the table
afternoon shadows on the door
heavy snow on the trees
the stillness of a perched crow—
perhaps it contemplates a distant destination,
the whisper of flapping wings,
the camaraderie of a journey at dawn across January skies,
or the solitary moment on the margin between flight and rest
who she is now, is not who she was then — and that is as it should be
Who could fail to embrace a season so beautiful and so fragile?
Excerpt from The Comfort of Crows A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkle and illustrated by Billy Renkle, 2023
The world outside has turned monochromatic, all shades of grey.
Juliet explores in the snow.
Inside, stacks of books are piled here and there. Dried flowers, pine cones and leftover slices of Christmas oranges are tucked into bowls. The tea brews. The afternoon edges closer to evening just as it starts to snow softly once again.
I am wrapped into an old quilt watching a squirrel leap from branch to branch. The crows fly against the grey December sky by the dozens, stretching for miles, black waves echoing in the distance. Closing my eyes, the outlines of the dried oak leaves melt into my mind and right into my soul.
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