January (Poetry + Photos)

Long-eared Owl

Last year, I made a goal to write a poem every month, inspired by that month. Most of them, like me, weave notes of:

• Nature, 
• Breath, 
• Body, and 
• Soul. 

This year, I'd like to share those poems with you. I'll pair them with photos I've taken during that particular month! 

Great Blue Heron

Winter's Glow

So here's January - 

A poem by me (Little Bird Nerd / Andrea Rose / @inbodiednature) 

January feels like a preview to spring, 

The moment of conception before the birth, 

Where every thought, 

Every breath, 

And every bird is new. 

Infant in time, 

Yet pregnant with possibility, 

January is fresh, intentional, slow, and gentle. 

It's the pause before an inhale, 

A yawning awakening, 

A chance to "start close in."

January looks both ways like the god it was named after, 

Two-headed Janus, 

Gazing both behind and before. 

We feel the echoes of last year's cycles 

As we emerge, stepping into white space, 

Good space, 

Sukha. 

January speaks the language of owls, 

And peers through a different lens. 

It's time to plot out our course 

And swivel our gaze, 

Awakening to the messages 

Which drift upon dreams. 

The blues which normally inhabit the sky 

Now wash their way down to earth, 

Setting the filter to cool. 

Like when we open our eyes 

After they've been closed for a while, 

And everything looks ultramarine. 

Outside we breathe smoke signals, 

Dancing proof of our own aliveness. 

We practice "Hygge" as the Norwegians say, 

Opening our arms to change, 

Embracing our power,

We spark warmth underneath our chilling bones. 

This winter fire fuels intention, 

A braid of head, heart, and hands.

There's power in the collective now, 

A quiet trust in the resetting of things. 

With ritual, presence, and contentment, 

Movement forth becomes our medicine. 

We cross the bridge from reflection to projection, 

Turn, turn, turning the wheel once again.

Tracks

American Robin

Winter Wren

Wintery Marsh Vibes

Red Squirrel

An Icy Winter Sunset

Winter's Quiet Power

Nurturing Habitat

Short-eared Owl

The other day, I saw a Short-eared Owl (my fav bird of 2021 so far), and it got me thinking...

This is not a bird I see often, and when I do, it's usually in marsh and field areas that have been protected, preserved, or reclaimed for Nature to flourish.

Then I got to thinking about all the "specialist" birds out there - birds who require very specific habitats and ecosystems to thrive - like Common Redpolls, blustering around wintery farm fields and uncut brush; or delicate Henslow's Sparrows who whisper invisibly from fields of unmowed grass; or Eastern Bluebirds, who make their homes along avenues where meadows and woods are the neighbors.

Common Redpoll

Henslow's Sparrow

Eastern Bluebird

Finally, I thought of my yard, where more birds are drawn in by foundational elements like: native plants, bird feeders, water sources, places to hide, and corners where we keep things "untidy" and wild.

So many people ask questions like, "How do I get that bird in MY yard?" or "Where do you see all these birds?" And the answer SO often comes down to habitat. If you "build" it, or rather, if you nourish and protect it, they will come.

Ovenbird (in our yard!)

And finally, full circle here... It's like this with us too. If we want our lives to have more variety, more life, more change, more beauty, more JOY... we have to take care of our basics first. We have to till and protect our inner "Earth" with the foundations of uplifting daily habits. Take care of your habitat, protect your ecosystems, and watch your world bloom.

Pileated Woodpecker

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (one of my "spark birds")