We watch Vaux Swift overhead our home each evening. This Autumn Equinox I wait and watch with the migration of birds, rise of winged ones over the horizon. With astrological aspects of these seasonal changes, I am grateful for writing communities and shared landscapes. Elk River Arts, Litfield Writers, Wayfarer and Writing the Wild – circles of writers committed to caring for the earth, our communities, all beings, committed to being present, offering compassion and kindness. Community circles grieving the daily discarding of other, grieving the loss of dignity and respect, loss of valuing all creatures and htis planet we call home. Circles committed to speaking out against injustice, inequality and violence. I am grateful for AWP, PEN America, and so many other literary organizations speaking out for all artists and writers. Grateful for Compassion Consortium, Defenders of Wildlife, NRDC, Ocean Conservancy, Project Coyote, WWF and so many non-profits advocating for all beings, flora, fauna and earth.
“we remember to lift our wings of hope / to watch and listen, advocate and lobby for future generations /trust that whatever is falling away /is opening portals for what is now possible.” – Gwendolyn Morgan, “Enchantment of Swifts,” in Dawn Songs: A Birdwatcher’s Field Guide to the Poetics of Migration. edited by Jamie K. Reaser and J. Drew Lanham (Talking Waters Press, 2023) p. 41. https://abcbirds.org/news/dawn-songs-abc-fellowship-program