#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

Morning Geese, Charles River

Heron lifting off, Charles River morning

Oh, a tired morning, a satisfied one, and here are the geese, calm and undisturbed, gliding into the day. And after I cross the trestle bridge into the meadow, I crunch quietly through the dried weeds to the river’s edge to watch the heron standing on the opposite shore, and then, lift off over the river under the blue sky. Another busy day ahead, and I shorten my walk a bit, but not too much, because I have family coming later in the day for a hike. This is a day I am hosting my brothers and sister and nephews. After lunch, they are here, and I lead the way, through Rocky Narrows, and up the hill to King Philip’s Overlook where we take this picture. I take them past all my views, all my favorite places and we’re fortunate, the sun is shining all through our way. I make hot chocolate for all of us, reminding me of our post-pond skating outings when all the children were little. It is the sweetest afternoon and evening. My brother brines the turkeys I will cook tomorrow for our special siblings pre-Thanksgiving. My husband cooks dinner for ten of us around the table, and then we laugh and laugh playing games after dinner. And checking my e-mail, I get an acceptance of a poem - a first from the batch I sent out a few weeks ago. And this one pays. (Poetry pays? Rarely. But it’s nice when it happens.) Tomorrow, I will rise early to stuff and roast and the house will be full of family, so many to feed! I am very pleased about this poem being published, one from a photo of an Easter years and years ago. It sat on my desk for so many many months as I knew I would write from it. And then I did, and workshopped it in three for four different places. Yes, a lot of work for this short poem. It’s one of a pair, mother/daughter poems, set years apart. In this one, I’m the child. In the other, I’m the mother. I am still tweaking the other. I better go to sleep. I have an early rise to a busy day.