March (Poetry + Photos)

Barred Owls

Last year, I wrote a poem about each month. This year, I'm sharing them, along with photos I've taken that month (photos drawn from a variety of Marchs). Happy spring!!!

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Purple Finch

Red-winged Blackbird amidst the buds

Migration of Tundra Swans

March!

The most assertive month of the year,

It speaks in verbs,

And calls to action,

With commands like,

"March fourth!"

Luck and awakening meet,

In this season of becoming-green.

Sometimes it teases,

Like a mirage,

Peeking at warmth,

Then shimmering away with a morning frost.

But she proceeds,

With confident strides;

Mother Nature's New Year,

Moving, quivering,

Alive with flight and color and song.

This bright and clear, syllabic awakening

Is palpable outside and in.

Place your hands in Lotus Mudra -

For we are flowers emerging from mud.

Outside, a caterpillar squirms to life.

I wonder if it knows

What it's about to become...

If you'd like to read January's poem, click here, and February's, here.

Sunset

Eastern Towhee

Migration of Tundra Swans

Caterpillar (swallowtail?)

Salute to Spring

Northern Parula

Happy spring, everyone!

Although I see beauty and purpose in every season, I have to admit, spring is my fav. It's the season I was born into, plus the season with the best bird migration, and, of course, home to those few magical weeks of the year where all those pink and white flowering trees bloom at once - like a parade of Victorian women walking down streetsides, holding frilly and fancy parasols.

Spring is energy and joy; cleaning, rinsing, and resetting; and the emergence of life which inundates the senses. While many Love summer, to me, it feels like it's "already here"... whereas spring is in itself a buildup and an ever-bubbling transformation.

So here's a few hand-picked spring tidbits for you: some photos, a poem, and a few journaling prompts to help you move into the season with awareness and intention.

Photos

Barred Owl

Red-winged Blackbird

Yellow Warbler

(Least?) Flycatcher

Double-crested Cormorant

Turkey Vultures

Canada Geese (goslings)

Northern Mockingbird

Blue-winged Teal (male, female)

Poem - "Hello Spring"

We sit still, but outside, the world is moving,

The seasons changing

Like strips of film before our eyes.

Over there!

It's winter's Cardinal,

A smudge of scarlet

In a skeleton tree.

Holly berry red,

Black-masked bandit,

Stealing away

Winter’s last sigh.

And here!

A Robin,

Round, brown belly,

Rust-colored breast,

Golden-beaked beacon of spring,

Pregnant with possibility,

The promise of beauty yet unhatched.

Soon, life will spill out

From spotted blue shells

And fill our ears with song.

What a priceless gift

To see this transformation,

To feel the fluttering hope of springtime

In our awakened hearts.

Journaling Prompts

1. What can I let go of, "spring clean", or rinse off from the winter season? Why do I want to let this thing go? How will I feel afterward?
2. What seeds am I planting / what am I nourishing / what is emerging in my life over the next few months? Imagine it's the first day of summer. Looking back now, how does it feel now that this new seed has sprouted?
3. Set a timer for 5, 10, or 15 minutes. Free write any words that come to mind when you think of spring. It can be adjectives, nouns, verbs, nature-related, colors - you name it! Optionally, you can turn this "brain dump" into a pinterest board or magazine cut-out vision board.
4. Imagine spring were the only season. How would you learn to find beauty in it and stay present?
5. What lessons does Nature teach you during the season of spring?
6. What rituals, healing practices, or celebrations can you incorporate into this season to make it more meaningful?

P.S. feel free to share your musings with me in the comments here, or on my Instagram @inbodiednature.

Common Grackle

Orchard Oriole