Poetry-24
by multiple poets
Summer 2024
photo by of John F. Williams
Poetry-24
by multiple poets
Summer 2024
Three Colleagues and a Coyote
by Jessica Levine
This poem was written in the morning of April First, describing the wild and wonderful life of being a bike commuter in the city. This morning highlights the joys of meeting other cyclists, in this case, all teachers who are also regular bike commuters on a reverse commute to me.
It’s the first
day of the rest of your life;
a countdown to retirement, she tells me
as our soles kickstand on the circular curb.
Look at the ancient magnolia!
Pink petals match the parka
of a young one crawling from her stroller
to reach out.
Around the corner, two more
colleagues stop for a chat
about weekend jazz and joys of new paths
in the straight away, trots
a coyote,
wild.
Spring in the City
by Jill McGrath
Rain splashes up and down, sideways.
We step in and around, accustomed
to this shuffle between raindrops,
we shrug them off like a puppy,
drops flying here and there.
At the ferry dock, commuters lazily
watch windshield wipers swing back and forth,
A rhythm timed with sips of a latte
and NPR’s even tones.
We’ve felt the bulbs gathering energy all winter,
underground, invisible. We know they’re waiting
until rain calls them forth. And what is
more dazzling than the first yellows
of daffodils popping up from city
balconies, gardens, soon crowding
tables at Pike Place Market, topping
sidewalk planters? It’s as if we’ve been marooned
on a very wet island, and rescue
has arrived!
We crawl from our houses
at the first reprieve from gray skies that lingered
so long this winter—like a composition
by a musician who loves one chord.
Sunshine and smiles! We weave our city blocks
to find a favorite view,
from a certain corner, or just down the steep hill
where waves ripple up and down, a constant
refrain, tapping a fisherman’s boat or the side of a ferry,
while Mt. Rainier watches
sublime in snow, startling
us every time.
Birds Near My Home
in the City by the Sea
poems and images by Lori Kothe
Near my home
in the city by the sea
birds soar and swim
and speak to me.
Eagles and seagulls,
owls, herons, and jays,
falcons, crows, hummers,
and geese go their ways.
Bald Eagle
Deet-de-de-de-de-deet-de-de-de-deet!
Look up in that tree!
It’s a Bald Eagle pair.
So mighty and massive,
one takes to the air.
Searching for dinner,
or a maybe a fight,
that’s one bird that makes my cat
tremble in fright.
Seagull
Ha-ha-ha-ha
The seagulls all laugh
when you visit the beach
knowing a picnic
will soon be in reach.
They smile and watch
and they circle the skies
ready to swoop down
and eat up your fries.
Great Horned Owl
Who-hoo-ho-oot.
A Great Horned Owl HOOT
wakes me in my bed.
I think of how it hunts at night
and turns around its head.
Sometimes it’s called a tiger owl
or hoot owl when it cries.
It sees much better in the dark
with big, bold yellow eyes.
Great Blue Heron
Roh-roh-roh. STAB! Gulp. Gulp.
There stands a Blue Heron
as still as a stone.
So quiet and peaceful
and happy alone.
It’s ever so slender
but surely not weak.
Just ask the poor fish
that it stabbed with its beak!
Stellar’s Jay
Screech-screech-screech-screech! Shack-shack-shack!
The blue Steller’s Jay
is so noisy and bold,
it is no wonder
a group’s called a scold.
What mimics a squirrel sound
and acts like a brat?
That food-robbing bird
with the fancy black hat.
Peregrine Falcon
Flap-flap-flap. SWOOOOOSH!
The Peregrine Falcon
is fastest of all.
Some nest on a building
800 feet tall!
Stoop is the word
for its dive from so high
to catch prey in mid-air
right out of the sky.
Crow
Caw-caw-caw-caw! Caw!
Every so often
the crows call a meeting.
Hundreds arrive
and they CAW with a greeting.
They come to the tree
that’s the tallest in sight.
What do they say
as they banter in flight?
Anna’s Hummingbird
Bzz-bzz-bzz-bzz. Humm humm.
Fall and winter,
summer and spring,
Anna’s Hummingbird
doesn’t sing.
It hums instead
like a hovering bee –
an iridescent dragonfly
floating magically.
Canada Goose
HONK HONK HONK! Hiss. Hiss.
The Canada Goose
is a sight to see
when up in the sky
you notice a V.
But be sure to look down
to see where it’s gone
or you might step in poop
that it left on the lawn.
Deet-de-de-de-deet. Hoot.
Caw-caw. Screech shack-shack.
Swoop. Dive. Bzz. Humm. HONK. Hiss.
Now I know
in the city by the sea
it’s home to birds
and not just me.
They make it such a special place
to live and grow and share.
I love to listen to their calls
across the land and air.
Bird Bits
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Bald Eagle nests are called aeries and can be as large as 9 feet wide and weigh up to 2,000 pounds!
naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/facts/bald_eagle_712.html
Seagull (Larus glaucescens)
When Glaucous-Winged Gulls catch a hard-shell creature like an oyster or crab, they fly high up the air and drop it on rocks or pavement to break it open.
allaboutbirds.org/guide/Glaucous-winged_Gull/id
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
Adult Great Horned Owls sometimes get injured when they attack prey, including being stuck with porcupine quills and sprayed by skunks!
https://birdsconnectsea.org/learn/birds-of-wa/bird-facts/owls/
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
In 2003, Seattle named the Great Blue Heron as the official City Bird after it won a public contest with voting held at nature centers, parks, and schools.
heronhelpers.org
Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
Steller’s Jays are omnivores and can eat anything from seeds and nuts to eggs, rodents, and reptiles.
wta.org/hiking-info/nature-on-trail/nature-on-trail-stellers-jay
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
Peregrine Falcons are the fastest flying birds in the world and can exceed 200 mph in a dive. Since 1994, Peregrines have nested on a ledge outside the 56th floor of a Seattle skyscraper, 1201 Third. You can even watch them from a nest cam.
https://urbanraptorconservancy.org/seattle-peregrine-falcon-project/
Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos / Corvus caurinus)
Crows in Seattle gather before dusk, then fly 20 miles to a restored wetland where up to 16,000 roost at night.
uwb.edu/visitors/crows
Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
The iridescent throat patch of male hummingbirds is called a gorget. The Anna’s gorget extends over its head, making it more of a balaclava than a bib. Oddly, female Anna’s have a tiny red gorget—females of most species have none.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Annas_Hummingbird
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
A Canada Goose poops 1-3 pounds per day and can live up to 24 years (that’s a LOT of poop)!
https://birdsconnectsea.org/learn/birds-of-wa/bird-facts/canada-geese/
Jessica is a passionate observer of place. A three time Poetry on Buses poet, regular bike commuter and adventure cyclist, Jessica Levine is also a middle school science teacher, with a photographic eye, punny poetic ear, and love of learning and storytelling.
Jill McGrath is a Seattle poet who finds inspiration on a paddle board, a hiking trail, or even on a dance floor. Memorable escapades include a 2-year journey in Asia on a tandem bicycle and a 1-year stint editing tourism magazines in Nepal.
She is currently finishing a poetry manuscript based on her travels and circulating a completed book for publication. She’s published a chapbook, The Rune of Salt Air and has had 45 poems published in literary magazines over the years. Recent publications include The Last Stanza, Dorothy Parker’s Ashes, The Blue Heron Review, and the Alchemy & Miracles Anthology.
Lori Kothe is a strategic design leader, entrepreneur, and author who creates purpose-driven solutions and stories to inspire and move people. In 2020, Lori published the picture book “Oh Poo! A Cautionary Tale” and founded Poogooder, a grassroots movement to help end wayward dog poo for a happier, healthier community and planet. Lori’s work with Puget Sound Starts Here, King County DNRP, and others has reinforced her passion for storytelling with purpose. She lives with her family near Alki Beach in West Seattle where eagles and seagulls, owls, herons, and jays, falcons, crows, hummers, and geese go their ways.
Table of Contents, Issue #24, Summer 2024
Pocket Beach
by Julie Jeanell Leung, Summer 2024images by Julie Leung except as notedPocket beach in Myrtle Edwards Park, adjacent to Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle.by Julie Jeanell Leung, Summer 2024images by Julie Leung except as notedLooking through Alexander Calder's...
Avalon Pond
by Joshua Ralph, Summer 2024Everett Crowley park, Vancouver Canada. photo by Chelaxy Designs via Unsplashby Joshua Ralph Summer 2024a history in a landscape Nestled within the far southeast corner of what is today Vancouver, British Columbia, lies a 40-hectare park,...
Wild Birds and Window Collisions
by Jeff Beyl, Summer 2024Black-capped chickadee. photo by Skyler Ewing via Pexelsby Jeff Beyl Summer 2024It happened again this morning. At first, I thought it was a gunshot. My head jerked, my shoulders jumped, and I quickly ducked beside the breakfast table. I...
Salamanders, Stormwater, and Skateboards
by Susan McCleary, Jessica Sandoval, Max Lambert, Claire Kerwin, Summer 2024Yauger Pond when the area is not flooded. photo courtesy of WDFWby Susan McCleary, Jessica Sandoval, Max Lambert, Claire Kerwin Summer 2024Map of the route of water from Yauger Park to the...
The Wild Indoors
by Sarah Ottino, Summer 2024 images by Sarah Ottino except as noted Clogmia albipunctata or drain fly, less than 1/4" long. photo by John F. Williamsby Sarah Ottino images by Sarah Ottino except as noted Summer 2024Many of us think of nature as being restricted to the...
Neanderthals in the House
by David B. Williams, Summer 2024 images by David B. Williams except as notedFrench Limestone containing fossils in an exterior wall of Westlake Center, Seattle. photo by John F. Williamsby David B. Williams images by David B Williams except as noted Summer 2024In the...
Joy & Woes: Anna’s Hummingbirds
by Anya Gavrylko, Summer 2024Anna's hummingbird. photo by Veronika Andrews via Pixabayby Anya Gavrylko Summer 2024My freshman year of college I was in a regular state of awe as I adjusted to my new surroundings. I had moved to Seattle from the suburbs of Chicago, and...
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