A Medley of Small Things

Today’s post begins with two haiku that may either be joined together or allowed to stand singly. It is an autumn of butterflies here, thanks to all the rain.

Butterflies in the Garden

A thousand small wings
glitter in and out the leaves,
born of rain showers.

Have I planted them?
blue flowers for butterflies
remain; wings fly free.

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The desert has its own life, its own rhythms, its own textures, and its own strange beauty. This tritriplicata poem finds joy in these things. The tritriplicata is a poetic form developed by poet Arjan Tupan. It is well-suited to capturing a thought or image briefly but succinctly.

Desert Thoughts

I prefer
To live close to the sun
Along with things prickly, tough, fragile,
Lasting, ephemeral, 
Beautiful.

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And there are the quail. The local species is known as Gambel’s Quail. They are my neighbors here, often heard in the early morning as they gather around, finding seeds and such that have dropped from the desert scrub. This evening I watched one enter over the fence, his lovely plumage quite remarkable in its colors and patterns.

Comments to a Quail

Your sable mask and plume,
Your argent cloak 
Dagged with white and tawny,
Russet too on the collar--
How splendid you are, small friend,
How gracefully you stride through the desert,
Dawn and dusk made richer by your presence.
Often a whole covey of you 
Hold simple conversation among the bushes;
Are you unaware of your dashing elegance,
Which I watch and admire from the window.