You can spend a long time complaining to a wall
But only the insane do that.
You can lean on its sun warmed sides
Rest a ladder and climb
Tunnel beneath
But in the end, you have to wonder
If perhaps it is not simpler
To accept
This is a wall
and find a doorway instead.
Header photo: Magpies at dawn. Where I walk in the paddocks well away from town, the magpies cluster, sometimes in large numbers. Which is odd for magpies, who are not flocking birds. Or I didn’t think they were.
There can be up to twelve some mornings, sitting on separate fence posts like sentinels. They watch me as I walk past, and I always nod and say good morning if they tilt their intelligent little heads and seem to require it.
In town, magpies usually have their family group – perhaps four at the most – two adults and the chicks they are raising. I had never seen them in such large groups until I wandered further afield. There is a great deal we miss when we don’t pay attention. But we don’t know that we miss it. Which is what makes it okay to most people. But I’m not most people, I don’t think I ever have been.
And that is a question that I ask myself a lot these days.
What else am I missing?
And when you look – it’s heartbreakingly apparent.
So much.
We are all missing so much.
Finding a doorway is often like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But once you find one, you’ll never look back at the wall. You’ll be too busy exploring a new world. 😉
So true Michelle and I have wandered through many doors 😊 once you know about doors they are everywhere and walls only seem to exist to hold them up.
Oh I love how you put that! 😉
Ah! a magical poem that opens a portal to a world where many magpies flock. I’m guessing that the behaviour is somewhat seasonal, with Spring’s chicks now grown but not yet enough for independence.
I think that’s probably right DD. Magpies are such great parents and the family groups stay together for a long period of time, I know from just watching the ones that nest in our yard.
Lovely birds.
Hi Kate, hope the new season is treating you well so far.
Yeah, we do miss quite a lot of things. We gotta find a way to change that, for sure! Mike
Hi Mike great to hear from you – drizzly rain and a crackling fire – a lovely day for writing ..and reading
Quite true !! We miss a lot indeed !
” There is a great deal we miss when we don’t pay attention. But we don’t know that we miss it. Which is what makes it okay to most people. But I’m not most people, I don’t think I ever have been.” Ah, Kate! And that’s why I miss you. So glad to hear from you again.
Lovely to be back Camilla and this time I will be able to stay, I have simplified my life enormously of late to create space for my writing, reading, poetry and photography.
I’m so glad to hear it, Kate!
Or a window.
Windows and chimneys and any other portal we can find Selma!
Indeed. 👏🏽