God comes to you disguised as your life.–Paula D’arcy– Queen Anne’s Lace, also know as “wild carrot,” can be found across the United States and in southern Canada. It’s not nearly as common in northern Louisiana as in Arkansas, so when I drive north to hike with friends at Arkansas Native Plant Society gatherings, I look forward to seeing roadsides blanketed with flat-topped flowerheads called “umbels.” Look closely at an umbel from above and you’ll see that the florets comprise a complex, intricate repeating pattern quite reminiscent of the sort of lace needlework Queen Anne of Britain and Scotland was…

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