Readying for the Winter

Fells Reservation, Massachusetts

The winter is not that far-off.
  Chickadees are earnestly caching seeds in the bark of trees, in the cracks of wood.
   Flying about, with brief stops, just to check... it seems all is known, even my gaze...  

Fading shadows

 Crane Beach, Massachusetts

... clouds seem to be rising from the ocean in layers of water droplets,
      in each breath of fading shadows...
 
      ... the sounds of waves are telling me that I am still here...

 

Morning Sparkles

Castle Neck, Crane Beach, Massachusetts

In the morning, the ocean comes to wash their faces...
   ... sparkling across this elusive world... 

Autumn on Sand Dunes

 Castle Neck, Crane Beach, Massachusetts

Hudsonia spreads over rolling dunes, clothing sandy rises and falls in warm browns...
   ... grasses sparkle in colorful amalgam of autumnal retreat,
         followed by long shadows...

 

... with Milkweeds...

Mass Audubon Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, Massachusetts

I happen to know Milkweeds through the story of Monarch butterflies...
  For Monarchs, Milkweeds are partners in survival.
  They feed their young, and endow them with toxins that guard their lives.
 
We do not like to have Milkweeds around for fear of their toxins,
  and a misbelief that they will choke those plants we love...
     ... so their beauty passes... each season... with Monarchs being the only ones to notice...

Immersed...

Mass Audubon Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, Massachusetts

... untouched autumnal meadow awakens and makes seeing an art form...

Rough Meadows

Mass Audubon Rough Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary, Massachusetts

Where woodlands and marshlands mingle with the ocean...
... and tides roll over grass blades in the rhythm of celestial motion...
  
   ... a place of energy and silence... of land and sea, the Sun and the Moon... coming together...