Little Cat Writes Poetry

She sprawls her bold title across the page

where I would read.

She hides her tale from strangers, shares all

with those who give her time and care.

Her energetic paws

print a chase-scene narrative

on the polished table.

After a nap, she stretches, meanders,

her lyrical lines loop and curve

on the wet tiles of my just-washed floor.

Her tidy steps turn where she arches,

strokes my leg, smiles into my face,

and her question-mark tail asks,

already so sure of the answer.

                             ~Carol Bindel

The Natural World Carries Us

Here comes an Autumn dawn, misty from the fierce storms that went through last night. The gold leaves on the tree tops still hang firmly enough; ruby dogwood, clear, pale yellow undergrowth that hides the tawny deer so very well, gold-pink air, oh, it's all so beautiful, my heart must expand some more to hold it all. Every year I notice new detail and depth. 

My friend who does photography, and the cards that I occasionally send, showed me some recent D. C. photos. One shows the clean, white, rounded and spired capital dome against a clear, deep October sky. Brilliant orange leaves overlap in the foreground on the right, a sturdy green pine stands in the foreground on the left. I couldn't help but see that for all our political machinations―and everything human and social is political―the natural world carries us, first, last and always. 

Change is the only constant, we are all in this together whether we wish to recognize that or not, and for all the abuse we've heaped on her, Mother Earth still provides air, water, food. We are all her dependents.  I find that very, very comforting.

October Hay Field

This day is a template of "October's bright blue weather." As I passed a field of grass mown for hay and smelled that light, summery scent, I smiled and imagined I stepped out of time for a moment. And then I immediately knew the sweet, summer scents are not apart from now, but incorporated. All things really are of one piece.