It is summer, and I am vowing to play: play with my colored pencils and play with my words. It is easy for me to play with words and share them. I’ve been doing that since I was four-years-old. It is warm and comfortable. It is more difficulty for me to play with drawing because I’m still at the beginner stage. Being a beginner takes boldness. Being a beginner one must cast away the trepidation and dive deep into play with abandon. Like the hummingbird, it all starts with a flash of color, like the spring frogs – I’ve come out of hibernation and am ready to sing!

Hummingbird Dream
A vibrant flash darts across my window,
The hummingbird simply
Mesmerizes me with his colorful,
Iridescent fluctuating feathers.
I cannot even fathom
His true loveliness,
I cannot detect all the colors,
All the wonders in nature.
Trichromatic, people are
receptive only to spectral hues:
Blue, green, and red.
But birds are tetra-chromatic,
They witness a broader range of colors:
Ultra-violet, non-spectral hues.
Suddenly the humming bird swoops,
Taking a sweet sip of nectar.
A blur on a yellow blossom,
I can only imagine what he sees.
I can only dream.

Frog Hymn
Days of torrential rain —
River and woods become one,
The meadow becomes a pond,
The pond is now a lake,
Murky and muddy
Filled with strange voices,
A melody of squeaks and grunts.
The frogs have returned
To praise the rain in unison –
Bass and baritone,
Alto and tenor
Rise in harmony.
From deep within the reeds,
A soprano whistle trills,
The tempo builds, faster and faster,
Then rests… and builds again.
The verdant rhythm
Of spring singing.
