in the headlights (shadorma)

when we try

every morning

to cross the

rocky way,

the beasts come without warning–

searching for their prey

photo by me

perfectly lost

upon the inspection

of his own reflection,

the gull was impressed

and called it perfection.

with no explanation,

he deserted his station

and followed his image

to an unknown location.

sometimes self-promotion’s

a powerful potion,

and soon the gull found

he was lost on the ocean.

–photo by me

tamaracks

have you

ever seen

the evergreens

turn yellow

in the fall?

if so,

in fact,

they’re tamaracks–

not evergreens

at all

–photos by me

The Aurora

Standing out here under a starry, Minnesota-dark sky, I can understand why some of my ancestors thought the aurora borealis, like the rainbow, was a bridge leading from Midgard (earth) to Asgard (home of the gods). Although the northern lights are often swirling and dancing across the ebon stage, sometimes they are still, like a ghostly, glowing bridge to the heavens. I get it.

are the northern lights

but a restless, emerald

stairway to heaven?

–Photos by me

shot of the day 10/21/23

the marten’s a rather rare sight

and rarer when standing upright–

is that just a very tall cat

or a very, very tall rat?

–photos by me

the angle (tanka)

the banks of the creek

prosper under the same sun–

yet, one is favored

though the sun shines on us all,

it’s the angle that matters

–photo by me

Chipmunk

I’m quite ill today (feels like razorblades in my throat), so I’m just going to leave you with a shot of a happy young chipmunk for this post. Take a look at his fingers–instead of cracking nuts, he could be cracking safes! Ouch. Don’t make me laugh.

Photo by me