Beasts and Beloveds

Night Bird

I cannot say
I was not expecting you

Sometimes we can smell the rain
In a cloudless sky

And there are so many paths
Through these woods

That your approach
Drifted in and out of my windows

With the birdsong
And the lilacs

So I was never sure
It was not the fickle breeze

Turning my head
And touching my heart

But when you did appear
Silently bearing gifts

Like a night bird
Come with snow

Beauty and abundance
Fell from your wings

And covered the land

Midwinter

Yesterday was the first day of rain.

There was not a bird to be seen,
till three bluebirds flew down
and sat on the mulberry tree,
to observe the cold, gray day.

Today was the second day of rain.

A robin sang in the oak tree across the meadow
mistaking two frost-free mornings for the coming of spring.

Tonight the rain beats against the window,
and the woodstove roars at the wind.

Red Fox

I surprised her drinking
where the garden water runs over the edge
and down the hill

So she ran off
but stopped to look back at me
at the edge of the potato patch

I greeted her
and called her sweet names
that she seemed to appreciate

So she sat down to listen
a few feet further away
with her guileless face

But I ran out
of nice things to say
before she ran out of time

So I bowed briefly
and retreated up the hill
to my watering.

Veetmoha (aka Tony Kendrew) lives nowadays a very private life in Northern California. During Pune 1 days he used to travel much with Laxmi on the long-lasting search for ‘the new commune’ and also contributed humorous poems to the Rajneesh Newsletter and Sannyas magazine. He enjoys writing poetry and publishes them not only on his website but also on a very enjoyable CD, read by him and Alexis Johansing. tonyk@sonic.net – www.beastsandbeloveds.com