The brown was once green The fallen petals once a queen Rise and falls of life Shedding of the old Making room for future births The ways of Nature

Iowa has put on its fur coat The squirrels already have theirs They have more important things to attend to: Like foraging and storing nuts Some birds are still singing To the tune of fall leaves falling Like gems covering the earth Ready for the coming freeze No fur coat to pull her through the…

I wonder if thankfulness has a color Can it be the light we witness From our rising sun when we wake up Or the moon’s pure light when we grope in the dark of night? Maybe it’s the green of my willow tree Or the holy basil on the kitchen table Thankfulness lives in the…