Anxious? haiku heals

I was hesitant to share this poem before the New Year yet felt it captured a feeling many of us are challenged with today. The meadowlark is a reminder of the endurance we are asked to embrace in moments when our future feels in peril.

On a cold day in January this little bird hung on to the wire of a fence inches above a wind swept plain. Her markings suggested she was female and I felt anxious for her precarious position. Was this a stop over on migration or was she returning to her nesting grounds? Perhaps she was blown off course? While these questions swirled in my mind I could not take my eyes off her bit of yellow against the snow encrusted ground.

I was rooting for this meadowlark's survival and also admired the strength of her nature, a strength that we humans share. She reminded me to trust my instincts and let go of worry and future ruminations. Writing this haiku helped me see deeper into the beauty of her nature, and also mine. Her determination is instinctual and so is ours.

The future will always be uncertain yet we can meet challenge with presence one day at a time. Whether it is personal or world events that stoke our stress, we can hang on to our inherent determination and capacity to thrive.

the new year

windblown meadowlark

clings to a wire

D. Bowman, lettering, M. Canino

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