Bird sounds...

I just came inside from sitting on the porch and talking to an invisible night bird. It's sound is hard to describe in words, but if you you relax your mouth and make your lips into an "O" (like a choir boy singing Oh Holy Night-- the "Oh" or "Ho" sound is the one I'm talking about) and then make a medium pitched breathy "Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho" ... there. That's the sound. The conversation continues outside without me. The windows are open, it pours in with the chatter of frogs and another night bird that makes a "creeeek... creeeek" sound. And another that goes "whee-whee-whee-whee"

Listening to Laura, who speaks for the birds, on public radio, I once knew the names of these winged-ones. But that was last spring. I forget on a yearly basis. I also forget which frogs are which. One makes the sound like rubbing your thumb down the teeth of a comb (tree frogs?), the other makes a "rhe-we-rhe-we" sound.

Tonight and this morning at 5 am when I went out I was swallowed by jungle sounds. Yes, my northern Minnesota home is a jungle. Even without the green. The green that randlomly and reluctantly unfolds.

It was a warm, sticky day... spent not outside, but in my office fighting with another V.W. paper. But now I am done for the day. Completely done. No more expectations until the next sunrise, the next burst of sound. Does it ever go quiet in the middle of the night? While I'm sleeping? Tomorrow my only plan is to read through final drafts of student essays. I think I'll head out to the circle in the woods with a lawn chair, a thermos of coffee, the dogs, and the stack of papers. And I'm looking forward to it... amazed by the strange facts I learn from these papers. Reading, I realize how, yes, we are all in this together... this thing called learning... together in the struggles of writing and of accomplishing those things that at first felt impossible.

And now, with the day done, I am content with simple bird conversations. My back and shoulders are stiff, but my mind... my mind is calm and quiet.

I think, most definateley, it is time to go to bed. Never mind the rambling writing, concentrate on the bird sounds.

Good night.