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outside my window
midday celebrates
alive with September sun
and the scurry of creatures
warmed by late summer
nature
in splendid voice
the chuff of tree’d red squirrel
blend with the song
chirp
and trill of birds
chickadee
goldfinch
western bluebird
and others
fly
flutter
and flit
cracking the black-oil sunflower seeds
that spill from their feeders
under the patient eye of a red-tailed hawk
casually calling
from the top of a Sitka spruce
swaying in the crisp blue sky
woven into this sonic tapestry
the muffled belling of a deer
wandering in the safety of the old-growth
whispering in these foothills
the quiet bark of a neighbor’s dog
echoes through the basin
up along the stream
signaling its curiosity
reminding me we have friends nearby
the soothing rustle of leaves
large and small
stirred by the breezes
waft through this valley
smartly punctuated
by the staccato of conifer cones
that fall from time to time
wrested free by chickaree
and chipmunk
chattering high in the Douglas fir
busy with their forage
wap wap wap
they strike the ground
and bounce off our roof
closely followed
by the scamper of their liberators
crunching their way
to the heart-meat of the cone
the delicacy
that elicits this furious industry
I sit by the open window
with tea
and fascination
mesmerized by all I behold
intoxicated
by the heady fragrance
drifting in
cedar
pine
fir
lily
rose
morning glory
grasses
loam
and more
a rich earthy bouquet
I breathe deep
exhale
free a smile
and marvel
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rob kistner © 2009