restless wind

a restless wind bothers the wind chime

blows the remaining blossoms off the apple tree
begins to throw poplar dandruff around the neighborhood



dandelions insist on poking bright yellow heads up in so many corners of the yard
 in crevices where nothing should be able to find space to root



one astilbe thrives and prepares to throw it's flower toward the sky

another astilbe emerges slowly ... to live or not to live, that is the question ...






and in the front, the dwarf apricot iris from my neighbor laughs out loud
I almost missed it





bleeding heart strings of pink and white

ready for little fingers to pick and pull them apart or give them away




it is the season for daily walk abouts

flicker

a flicker drums on my neighbor's tin chimney
in the early morning fog
waking them if they are still asleep
annoying them if they are awake

I remember that sound of a jackhammer in my house
while my baby boy lay sleeping
walking through the house and into the basement
wondering where the sound was coming from
what was breaking

realizing days later when I saw him drumming on my neighbor's roof

not a jackhammer in the basement
not something gone very wrong with the heating

a flicker on the rooftop