<html class="apple-mail-supports-explicit-dark-mode"><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 22px;">July Prayer To Survive The Summer</span><div style="font-size: 22px;"><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Today was the first day I saw</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">the father of the chicks</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">come to the antlers—First,</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">he landed on the doorframe—looked at me</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">hard—before making the short flight</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">to nest—</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The mother came busily on his tail-feathers—</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">a small grey worm in her beak—</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">ushered him out of her way—</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> *</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I wonder about the day</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">these birds will first</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">take flight—</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">which instincts they’ll suspend</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">& which they’ll trust—which of the tiny birds</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">will last the Fall—</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> *</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I am ahead of myself again—wanted</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">to tell you about instincts—how sometimes</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">they betray the body—no, sometimes</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I betray the body—</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> *</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The father is back again—nothing in his beak.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Their chirps are so much louder today—almost like tiny bells,</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">or water spilling—</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> *</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Here, there is a father.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">There are not always</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">fathers—</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">but always, birds,</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">& sometimes, yes,</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">a window.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> *</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">My mind flips to a line</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I love: You can fall a long way in sunlight.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">You can fall a long way in rain.</span></div><div style="font-size: 22px;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></span></div><div style="font-size: 22px;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span>- Robin Walter</div></div><br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfSignature"><div dir="ltr"><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>"Be joyful though you have considered all the facts."<div> - Wendell Berry</div></div></body></html>