Connecting to nature through poetry and prose
The micro-season of “The Sparrow Builds Her Nest” is the first micro-season of the mini season of Spring Equinox. To honor this season, we investigate the taxonomy of the sparrow and read a short poem by Emily Dickinson.
“The mourning dove/ wearing noon’s aureole/ coos from the rhododendron”(excerpt from “What the Dove Sings” by Carol Frost) Today we honor the mourning dove with poems by Emily Dickinson, Joe Tessitor, Carol Frost, and Galway Kinnel.
Emily Dickinson wrote about 500 poems about the seasons. While a majority of those focused on the spring and summer, her winter poems convey a deep sense of reflection and introspection that should be highlighted.
In the winter woods the sound of a woodpecker resonates through the trees. This drumming or tapping behavior of the woodpeckers makes these birds both noticeable and unique. As a result there are many poems written about them. Today we have poems by Dickinson, Alling, Basho, Issa, and Silverstein.
The owl, with its nocturnal lifestyle and distinct appearance has made it the perfect subject for poetry. Today we have poems from Issa, Alan Watts, Emily Dickinson, and many more.
Emily Dickinson wrote: “Had Nature an Apostate-/ That Mushroom -it is Him!”. These lines acknowledge that mushrooms do not follow any of the traditional laws of nature. Dickinson is telling us, in her own poetic fashion, that mushrooms are a breed unto themselves. Today we have poems by Dickinson, Quinones, Sze, and Rohrer, that investigate the fascinating fungal kingdom.
Naturalist Weekly 