Pure white linen

Trimmed with lace

An heirloom borrowed

From an earlier day

A baby’s breath

Its soft caress

Felt gently upon our face

Red petals falling silently

Their edges, worn and dry

Gather together 

Slowly marking time 

A morning’s promise 

A cerulean sky

For a day 

Bathed in heavenly light 

Whose golden rays flicker 

Between bare branches 

Before the cold 

Of winter’s night

Each dawn brings change

As colors fade

And streaks of gray

Transform our lives

In silence she works

Sewing fauna with ease

Instinctively planning a home

For her new family

Carefully she connects

One strand at a time

Creating a safe refuge 

To stay warm and dry

She labors by day

With no time to rest

Beneath a flower moon

She seems to pray

For health and strength

As most mothers do

And perseverance

To carry her through

After days of building

Satisfied, she broods

Savoring this quiet time

That won’t exist soon

Nature, a beast 

In comparison to 

Such little flapping wings

Fighting the winds, currents

And blinding ocean mist

It struggles to stay aloft

In search of

A meal at sea

It dives but fails

In an effort to catch

An elusive silvery fish

Instead, it touches down 

Upon the wet sand 

And it looks at me

As though to ask

If I could spare 

A crumb to eat

Its wings so tired 

It walks my way

On the tiniest of feet

Closer it ventures so boldly 

And begins to loudly speak

Its chitter-chatter overpowers 

The sound of the pounding waves

It paces and impatiently awaits

A wanted response from me

I try my best to explain 

That I have nothing to offer

It quips loudly 

At my empty hand 

Then advances in a final 

Desperate demand

I utter my regrets repeatedly 

Until, sadly, it understands

It slowly retreats 

Then quietly

Takes to the sky once again

It dips and swoops

Flying blindly 

Teasing the relentless sea

In its final quest 

At days end 

To find a morsel

Before it sleeps

A vast expanse 

Of sparkling lights

They flicker and dance

Above us each night

A commanding performance 

After a quiet days rest

Their intricate patterns 

Celestially designed

Unveil an endless beauty

That surround them

On this darkest twilight

These familiar portraits

Suspended securely in space

Render a heavenly language 

To communicate

Details that guide 

Paths for us to navigate

Through treacherous seas

Or threatening roads

Their brilliant vibrations 

Help to lead us home

This universal heartbeat 

Conducts a chorus of light

As billions of stars

Take center stage 

Brilliantly each night

Silently they sing

A most spiritual song

Of peace everlasting

As they lead us home