OspreyMorning sky,bright sun,fish eagleof the marshflying low.Its catch,silver prey,hangs fromtalon strength.Sepia and bay,white bellied,bandit masked,dappled mosaicbeneath wings.An intimationthat worshipneeds onlythe sky.–Barry Middleton– It is, perhaps, my favorite bird. Barry Middleton’s imagery is so apt: “fish eagle of the marsh.” An adult, healthy osprey can lift a fish that appears to weigh almost as much as itself out of the water. Watching them do it is both nerve wracking (Is it gonna make it?) and up-lifting (Yay, osprey!). I have many photos of ospreys. I will have many more. Like prayer, there will never be enough.

Spring: Mercy is in your hands, pour me a little “I know a lot of fancy words, I tear them from my heart and my tongue Then I pray. Lord God, mercy is in your hands, pour me a little. And tenderness, too. My need is great. Beauty walks so freely and with such gentleness. Impatience puts a halter on my face and I run away over the green fields wanting your voice, your tenderness but having to do with only the sweet grasses of the fields against my body. When I first found you I was filled with light,…

The Sun Never SaysEven after all this timeThe sun never says to the earth,“You owe Me.”Look what happens with a love like that:It lights the Whole Sky.HafizTranslation and rendering by Daniel Ladinsky

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord;my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah–Psalm 84:1-4–