Check out the audio version this week as it was recorded on the shores of Pu’u Poa Beach in Kauai.
Welcome to Pocketful of Prose. Happy Easter! This week because it’s a holiday, I’m keeping it short and sweet. I’m thinking about rebirth and resurrection, and I’m feeling grateful for the reminder that love is never lost.
This pocket is in loving memory of Margaret Hutto, my grandmother, who loved me so well and always believed in my creative spirit.
Bird Feeder
The sunflower seeds I planted last fall
when I could still call my grandma on the phone
and talk about how fast the kids were growing
turned into sturdy, solid stalks which
grew faster and taller than the kids
I planted them after the first frost
with hope and intention
knowing the most majestic blooms form
in the harshest of winters
I planted them before I knew
Just how harsh winter would be
And in the peak of a hot, hard summer
they came through, steady and consistent,
delighting us in their golden glory
These queens lifted their crowns to touch the sun
but over time grew heavy with seeds
and slowly their faces turned to the earth
until they resembled a row of mourners
bearing witness to what once was
And I wondered what to do
In the face of this loss
Dig them up, cut them down, save the seeds?
Day after day, I did nothing
Save gaze upon them in my grief
Strong, steady and consistent in my attention
So I was there
when the warbler paid a visit
I watched him feed from the forlorn faces
delighting in the delicious dark seeds
cracking them open
and spilling out joy
I too felt nourished that morning
comforted in the reminder that
Nothing is wasted
Nothing is lost
Please join me for some conversation in the comments. Who loved you well? Was there a time when you found comfort in mother nature? Do you think the bird in the photo is a warbler? Did you hear the rooster in the recording?
So beautiful. I never had a grandma and feel a sense of loss when others talk about theirs. My mom, however, was old enough to be my grandma. She treated me like a daughter and a granddaughter both. So I guess I was doubly blessed in that way.
Oh my goodness I have spoken to SO many friends missing their grandmothers this past week! Me included. I just told someone yesterday I would kill for just one more conversation with her. Just being in her presence was a calming force.
I also loved the bit about the sunflowers. When we had done what we knew would be our last IVF cycle, and we only had 1 good embryo to transfer, during that 10 days I visited the sunflower field in Middleton. I watched those sunflowers stand strong but with droopy heads, waiting for the sun to rise that day. The sun was up, but it was very cloudy so they all faced east, looking for their friend to peek through and say hello. I was so encouraged by those sunflowers, patiently waiting with belief that even though they couldn’t see the sun that day, they knew it would return. I mustered the little bit of faith I had left to hope our cycle had been successful from those beautiful plants. Today, whenever I see sunflowers I am reminded of the comfort they provided me then. They were featured as the theme for the baby shower that came 7 months later. :-)