Barbara Loots

On the Island
 
Morning. As yet the birds are silent. Let the sun
filtering yellow light upon the leafy ground
stir up the worm to become food for the early one
picking among the litter with a whispery sound, 
alert among the forest creatures, fearing none,
secured from harm by the peaceful water all around,
its little work of daily gleaning never done,
its hunger satisfied by any morsel found.
 
I take my refuge here, pecking in the litter of my mind,
seeking in solitude, in the companionship of trees
and birds, whatever reassurance I may find,
the nourishment of joy, relief from the world's unease.
I feel the gratitude each island morning brings
for the greatness of the gift of the smallest things.

Barbara Loots resides with her husband, Bill Dickinson, and their boss Jane the Cat in the historic Hyde Park neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri.  Her poems have appeared in literary magazines, anthologies, and textbooks since the 1970s.  Her three collections are Road Trip (2014), Windshift (2018), and The Beekeeper and other love poems (2020).  Along with other contributors to Pulsebeat, she often hangs out at lightpoetrymagazine.com.  More bio and blog at barbaraloots.com.