Morning - Nina Asher

[Larry Robinson]

Morning	
				
I sit
	Facing the window upstairs
	At tree line

Lawn mower in the distance
Sun warmth flooding into an otherwise chilly room

A neighborhood		Not unusual
				Nothing special
				Yet, an extension of me

City trees – Magnolias – line the streets

In fall	
	Their dry, rotting pods, still filled with bright red seeds
	Drop to the ground
Many years ago, an old friend photographed these pods
	Gifting us their close-up beauty, hanging on our bedroom wall.

I walk these streets daily
	Kicking splendid pods
	Treacherous pods
So easy it is to step on one	trip, roll an ankle, fall

I am watchful always
	But more so these days
	As I age I fear falling – tripping, unable to stop the momentum of imbalance propelling

And so I give my neighborhood the gift of clear paths
Realizing that anything can happen, no matter what I do to create safety

I love the act of noticing little things that feel within reach
Reminding me 
	Each bit
	Each breath
	Each step
Can be a treasured moment		Coming alive in the noticing

	- Nina Asher