Heartwood and song

return to stardust, warming

the dark-cold night

Motion, stillness

Breezy bits of summer caught

On the cusp of fall

Each moment

Each lifetime, conducting its

Singular song

Nestled in the trees,

This pile of clouds promises

To soften my night

Quenching the questions

Whirling in my mind, the sound

Of water falling

In the brittle grass

Blue blooms of chicory

Snagging summer’s edge

The River, the Wind

Bringing hearts and cities home

Where the blackbird sings

Talking Water Gardens–Albany, OR