After a full year
of daily haiku entries
from the same backyard,
plus eleven years
of longer essays, one might
expect that one had
exhausted all the
possible observations
on which to write. Wrong.
Twenty some odd growths
show up overnight in lawn
Brown Dog Turd Fungi
So named not because
they grow on poo, but because
they resemble it
Apt name, methinks and
alarming to discover
one late afternoon
~dkm 20/52
Precious pine siskin
Flew against my window pane
Heartbreaking stillness
~dkm 19/52
An irruption year
for pine siskins in Georgia
driven by climate
Here by the dozens
I counted nineteen at once
perched on the feeders
From same family
as American goldfinch
Shared genus: Spinus
Smaller, but louder
meowing like their cousins
sounding like kittens
Sometimes they raise a
hint of a crest on the top
of their dainty heads
Not the least bit shy
these cute small streaky brown birds
with yellow edged wings
don't fly as soon as
most, at Backyard Spectator's
approach with camera
They all stare right back
Curious or aggressive?
Size of a large thumb
~dkm 18/52
Sixty-five year old
Cherry trees in deep decline
White lichen the sign
They've exceeded their
40 year expectancy
by twenty-five years
Breathtaking gifts to
the world each spring, yet they've asked
nothing in return
Lichen does no harm
Mother nature's housekeeper
Gives beauty to death
~dkm 17/52
Deep breath of blue sky
Cleansing the spirit, the heart
body, mind, and soul
~dkm 16/52
 |
| Chickenhouse retreat in Marietta, GA |
Black walnuts fallen
Easy to collect but hard
to clean, cure, and crack
Remembering my
grandfather's blackened fingers
my grandmother's cakes
Distinctive flavor
Delectable in baked goods
worth all the effort
Don't compost the husks
he said. They'll poison the soil
and kill your garden
Native to every
North American country
they inhibit growth
of neighboring plants
with toxins in roots, leaves, husks
Good survival plan
Now I have a taste
For black walnuts from market
Will buy some next week
 |
| Chickenhouse retreat in Marietta, GA |
Green praying mantis
upside down on banister
calls to mind that time
Sybil called Basil
a Byzantine stick insect
Funny then as now
~dkm 13/52
Old seed packet found
Label said garden balsam
Unknown plant to me
Took a chance on them
Sprinkled into Sheila's bed
replaced her pansies
They grew tall, slender
Bloomed in multiple colors
Like their honoree
End-of-season task
Pull out the spent brown annuals
Drop in compost heap
Too late I noticed
Seed pods bursting on the tips
Like impatiens kin
Uh-oh, get ready
for a balsam profusion
in next spring's garden
~dkm 12/52
