the great blue heron stands tall
as the cold creeps up on me

I write her name in the sand
only to be taken by the next wave

grief rises and retreats
I surrender
to the richness of my emotions
as heavy as the high tide

the perfect moment the osprey
is hunting for I find
with my feet in the water
as the pebbles tumble by

I wrote this poem while processing my emotions on my mother’s birthday. Frederick and I spent some time at my new favorite slough in town. He frolicked in the incoming waters, while I surrendered to what I was feeling. The birds were with me. After we left, a sense of grounding and calm stayed with me. May these pictures convey some of that calm.