The Berry Feast (for Gary Snyder)

October 23, a few warm days, almost like summer. I stopped working in the afternoon to drive up one of my favorite hills near my house, took a few photos, and spent half an hour lying on the meadow under the deep blue sky, visited by this summer's last crickets

The Back Country

coming home from my mother
she refuses to die ... at 89
deep in dementia
her own world,
unable to speak ...

coming home at noon, to the back country -
sit for half an hour in the sun
a poppy-seed cake and a coffee
a book of poems (The Back Country)
"the berry feast"

cool wind but sun,
spring around the corner
quiet Thursday noon
the neighbour cat sees me
comes down from the roof
and curls up on my lap

purr

sparrows on the hedge
chirping cat alerts
we see you!
crow on the old apple tree
crows three, four times
too large to be bothered by cats

the book cover is faded
bought it when I was young
I am fading
but something that is beyond time
never ages

purr