Tiny 'tudes*

*bits of gratitude ='tudes

For my sister Lisa Holthaus Valentine and her ongoing commitment to gratitude. See her blog at habitualgratitude.

Dry right now
can't handle
big gulps of gratitude,
but can quell
my thirst for appreciation
with tiny 'tudes.
Will savor
sips of flavor
thru the day
and feed my
appetite for wonder
with liitle plates
of thanks
artfully arranged,
garnished with grace.
For dessert
I shall devour
one divine sweetness,
a final tiny 'tude.

Wishing you lots of tiny 'tudes and some big ones too.
Here are some of mine:
-the adorable, questioning sound my cat Oscar makes
-the baby green heads of perennials breaching the soil
-fun words like: petulant, flummoxed, prattle

Please share your 'tudes.
A big thank you!

Aileen

Drive by Fruiting plus 3 bird poems

Driveby Fruiting

Menu announces
that Charlissa's French Toast*
is topped with honey cream cheese
and swerved
with a side of raspberries.
Hope no injuries occurred.
At least it wasn't
a head-on collision
involving blueberries
or a sideswipe
by strawberries.

*Charlottes cafe in Kenai, AK
*****

Playing hide and seek
when I want a closer look-
shy little sparrow.
****

That cheeky bird*
tarted up in brash colors
proclaiming cheeriness-
doesn't he know
gray is the color today?
My sister is sick
and still he persists
in brightness.

* Western tanager
****

What I could learn
from a bald eagle
is this-
don't fight the wind.
Open your wings
and simply float.
That is all
and it is
everything.

A.H.