self love
i followed my
breath
into my heart
& there i found
a purple flower.
It was so
lovely I wanted
to cry.
it reminded me
of my mothers
love for me.
she loved me
unconditionally
even tho I was
a troubled child.
moody, whiney
and tested
her patience
often, very often!
a thought occurred
to me.
maybe she is
speaking to me from
beyond the grave.
maybe she wants
me to love myself
the way she loved
me.
unconditionally.
bd burton-5/20/2025
The Swallows Are Back
The swallows are back for the summer
at Silver creek pond. Nova and I leave early
for our walk. I want to get there before
the world wakes up.
On the way we encounter Mama Mallard
with 8 little ducklings swimming behind her
in the creek. We see a killdeer and a willet
by the shore pecking for food. We reach our
destination. A bench by the pond near the
building where hundreds of swallows have
built mud nests under the eves.They are
darting about in the sky zigging and zagging
every which way snatching bugs. It is
amazing they don't run into each other.
I am unsettled. My brain is going in many
directions. I force myself to slow down, to
breath deep, to open up all my sense doors,
to drop into my heart.
Swallows snag their bugs and return to their
nests. Then they do it again and again. The
swallow songs blend with all the other bird songs,
robins, western meadowlarks, red wing
black birds and a yellowthroat warbler.
I become lost in this early morning
extravagance. Nova lays down and rests
beside the bench.
Some of the swallows perform these
magnificent dives at the pond only to touch
the water with their beaks to grab a bug
leaving beautiful concentric circles flowing
out in waves of energy.
After a while when my heart is soft, and my
mind is still we head home.
bd burton, 5/14/25
I keep waiting
I keep waiting for some big
spaceship to come down from
the sky and a Buddha looking
alien would come out and wack
me on the side of my linear
thinking head, just like I use to
wack my old tv set to fix the fuzzy
picture. Then the whole universe
would come into focus and I would
exist in a state of constant WOW!
bd burton, 6/10/1994
I wake to the sound of
rain &
robin song.
Our windows are open,
just a little.
The two tunes, rain & robin
harmonize together in a nice
duet of nature.
Not so much a
lullaby but more of a
gentle reminder that
it is good to be alive.
I am awake
but I continue to lie
here,
letting the
rhythm of my breath
add a comforting beat
to the tune.
I rest in this peaceful
in between state
I will rise soon enough
to tackle today's tasks
but not just yet.
Not yet.
bd burton
4/25/2025
