August, & the empty catbird nest catches small walnuts that will never hatch. An early autumn chill settles into my kneecaps. Last night, a cricket made entirely of electrons haunted a cross-continental audio connection between computers. It sped up & slowed down according to no change in temperature that anyone could discern. Thus, perhaps, the Great Motherboard amuses herself. Today at sunset the sky was full of chimney swifts, & I watched them for a while because it’s the height of the Pleiades, & this was likely the only skywatching I would do. Swifts are well named. The clouds turned orange above them while they weaved & wheeled. For whose chimney were they the wayward smoke? And in the morning, sometimes the sun finds a hole in the wall of trees opposite my porch & blinds me for half a minute before inching upward. Then wherever I look I see its negative: dark suns swimming in a cloudless blue.
Permalink
I love watching swifts too, and yes we have so much cloud at the moment its the only sky watching I’ll be doing!
Permalink
Beautiful post, Dave…….I skywatch cloud or clear.
Permalink
Glad this post resonated with you’ns. I added a couple of sentences to it this morning and decided to think of it as a prose poem. (Still not sure it goes anywhere, but what the hell.)
Permalink
“dark suns swimming in a cloudless blue.” Lovely and truly poetic Via Negativa, Dave.
Permalink
Thanks, Joan!
Permalink
Ahh.. the Pleiades… thanks for the reminder of another sign of the coming Fall. I think tonight may be the best chance at a view.