Long-tailed Duck

I Speak Not by Lord Byron

I speak not, I trace not,
I breathe not thy name;
There is grief in the sound,
there is guilt in the fame;
But the tear that now burns on my cheek may impart
The deep thoughts that dwell in that silence of heart.
Too brief for our passion, too long for our peace,
Were those hours - can their joy or their bitterness cease?
We repent, we abjure, we will break from our chain, -
We will part, we will fly to - unite it again!
Oh! thine be the gladness, and mine be the guilt!
Forgive me, adored one! - forsake if thou wilt;
But the heart which is thine shall expire undebased,
And man shall not break it - whatever thou may'st.
And stern to the haughty, but humble to thee,
This soul in its bitterest blackness shall be;
And our days seem as swift, and our moments more sweet,
With thee at my side, than with worlds at our feet.
One sigh of thy sorrow, one look of thy love,
Shall turn me or fix, shall reward or reprove.
And the heartless may wonder at all I resign -
Thy lips shall reply, not to them, but to mine.

a pair

Where have I been? In one word living. I have been living- not reaching out to some impossible someone, but sitting here now-knowing the feel of the cold snow around my feet and the whip of the winter air on my face. There is a bliss in the reality of a cold rosy face and the laughter of darkening days. So go live, see the world, drink in everything and enjoy the time you have. I wish I would have done that better when I was around you, enjoying you more for what you are. I got caught up in wanting instead of really being with you then.

To those I love
but cannot see
As we greet the dark
ten thousand lights
bring you home
every house a beacon
to show you the way
I wait as the dark unfolds
and the cold winter
sits outside the door

Merry Christmas
don't forget to believe in yourself

-Corby

tundra swans

Only what's inmost is near; all the rest is far.
And this Inmost is crowded and every day
filled overfull with everything and past all words.
The island is like a tiny star

-Rainer Maria Rilke -The Island

I have never been more full but I have never felt so empty.

The usual Sunday wrap-up

This about makes my blood boil, some idiot shot a whooping crane!
Unfortunately there are a lot less whooping cranes left than idiots.
http://cs.birdersworld.com/brdcs/blogs/field_of_view/2009/12/09/whooping-crane-shot-reward-offered.aspx

I got to experience this evening on my way out of the city, walking in the parking lot about 30 crows flew low over me. Then off they went to their roost.
Read about it here:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bal-md.crows06dec06,0,6457131.story

From the Baby of Macon

My first subject..so long ago

I feel incredibly lucky to know such people, including someone very dear to me, whom I have had the distinct pleasure of seeing two days in a row! Life is so sweet today.

Don't ever change, you are utterly perfect as you are. I only wish I was the one by your side.

I know I am better then that...sorry it had to be done.