Critter Comforts

On the smooth surface of an afternoon

I carve a gentle routine with you

Bay windows open, glittering breaths

to cool our heated inner landscapes

and a finch within the quivering ivy

A voice so buoyant, spilling patterns

of complex tones to turn my head in gratitude

I'm inside the song, each bright pulse

reaches me even in the dark locations

where my thoughts sometimes hide,

a shadowy divide, a fault line mended with

crystalline filaments - a protective sphere, inside which

all the emotional luxuries of comfort

can envelope me, draw me back

to the precious present moment

and coalesce in mindful stillness

A vital pause that brings rest and

the rest that births such profound exuberance

Here, with the careful critters whose existence endures

in such isolated severalty from my own, occupying

some entirely different sphere

and yet we habitually meet, and I can gather

these songs,

these intricate treasures that I hold in my heart

The sunny forces of delight always draw my eye

to a glimpse of red feathers in the pine needles

And we greet - a sigh of relief

We bravely faced another day, and prevailed

against all mundane anxieties

to rejoin in our warm, contented connections

and enjoy