Feeding the Future

Two downy woodpeckers
visit the deck
in the morning.

The female fat with eggs
sits on the railing.
The male flits between

feeder and mate,
feeder and mate,
seed by seed

feeding a future
not yet nested.
It is coded within

whether we’re winged
or flat-footed,
this care across time.

How much we humans
have done — how hard
some have worked–

to break this code
and bond. What
will we do now

to restore it?

Whatever your age, young or old or anywhere in between, take care of yourself in these troubled times and take care of others. Take care of the inner child within you and the young ones around you. Take care of the hopes not yet nested. Take care of your mate and your elders and your friends. And, whenever you can, let others take care of you, too.

If you are able to march, take care by putting your feet on the ground with others. If you are not, take care by keeping your heart beating in rhythm with those who are marching. If you are hurting, reach out to others. This is no time to go it alone. And if you are strong, reach out to those who now need you. 

Let’s feed each other, friends. Let’s feed the future nested within us all.