.
.
while sitting at a table,
enjoying afternoon tea,
in the shade of a cedar,
a Pileated Woodpecker
dropped from the sky
to land in front of us.
his red crest, jaunty,
black, military uniform
with white piping —
a Sargent Major
standing at attention,
inspecting us,
looking back at him.
he paused,
reflected,
saw all there was to see,
found us wanting
then, flapped away,
leaving an after image
of black, white and red
against the pines.
.
Love your pictures and poem too. I too have a family of pileated woodpeckers living near out home. check out my picture.
thanks for sharing,
Michael
Pileated Woodpeckers
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Beautiful photo. They are intriguing, curious birds. I love them now. When I was living in a cedar house I wasn’t so fond of them.
thanks for sharing,
Dennis
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Dennis,
thank you..I can understand the cedar house, my friend had the same problem. Really did alot of damage to his house.
Michael
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Hi Chermaine, thanks for your kind words. I enjoy your blog, About A Book. I especially, enjoyed your post “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”. The main character sounds like me when I was younger. Based on your recommendation, I intend to read this book
Cheers,
Dennis
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Your’re very welcome. That’s great that you relate to the main character.
Thanks
Chermaine
:D
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I’m totally new at wordpress… it takes getting used to. Thanks for stopping by at my first substantive post. Hope you like others. I love your poem!
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Thanks for your kind words. I admire what you do:
“I am a teacher and I teach vocational skills. I am also a mentor and I work with others to develop a sense of true spirituality — spirituality: finding meaning in one’s life that draws one to transcend oneself.”
Cheers,
Dennis
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it suits me… my personality needs to help others. At first I resisted doing so. Later, I finally came to notice that when I respond positively to someone that needs help that it helps me.
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Hi Audrina, thanks for your kind words. I love your blog and the poem “once Upon A Time by Gabriel Okara. He is a wonderful poet.
Cheers,
Dennis
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Thanks for your kind words. I find all birds hard to photograph, they just won’t keep still.
Cheers,
Dennis
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We have a Pileated woodpecker that visits the little woods outside my kitchen window. I love watching him. I also enjoyed your prose.
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Hi Dennis,
Beautiful picture! You have a real talent for capturing images.
Thanks, too for the recent blog follow. It has led me to your blog, which I am now following.
I look forward to seeing more of your posts.
Happy blogging! :)
Nancy
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Hi Nancy,thanks for your comment. I love your post “Insanity workouts – Nancy’s excellent adventure”.
Cheers,
Dennis
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“Found us wanting” – what an image! Beautiful stuff here and I also commend you for your writing work with the homeless. Thanks for the follow :-)
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Hi Adria, Thanks for your comment. I have always thought that animals and birds know more than we do. It’s us that don’t understand their language. I am sure they have much to teach us.
Visiting with the homeless is my pleasure, something I look forward to every day.
Cheers,
Dennis
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It seems like such a coincidence that I should stumble across your lovely poem about the pileated woodpecker. They are not all that common in our part of Canada, yet there was a firmly established family of them at our summer cabin community. Our houses were destroyed in the recent floods, but hopefully the woodpeckers survived!
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I’m so sorry to hear about, and see photos, of the damage to your cabin. It must be heartbreaking with the cleanup and starting over. We have a cabin on Birch Island, Sand Lake in Ontario.
We have often heard the woodpeckers, but they are seldom so bold as to drop down and visit.
Cheers,
Dennis
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Our cabin was on leased First Nations land and the lease was almost up. No one will be rebuilding anything, unfortunately.
Our woodpeckers had grown very used to all of us, so we often saw them in our yards, or even on the golf course!
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Hi Dennis,
As I bask in the splendour of your photograph and verse, I wonder what could be behind that quizzical expression of the woodpecker?
Shakti
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Thanks, Shakti, for your kind words. I always wonder what animals and birds are thinking. We had a Doberman who I’m sure was smarter than us, but she kept it to herself.
I loved your essay, The Mask.
Cheers,
Dennis
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I am very honored that you like my poem. I will be back often to read your posts on Blogging Einstein. I’m sure they will be very interesting.
Cheers,
Dennis
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http://bekkysworld.wordpress.com/2013/07/07/versatile-blogger-award-whoop-whoop/ congratulations
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What a gift to see a pileated woodpecker.
Dennis, I read several of your posts. Are you considering compiling some into a book? Just a thought. You have a gift. Your writing stirred me. It’s beautiful.
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Thanks, Pamela, I am editing my posts for Gotta Find A Home, to put them in book form. I have thought of compiling a book of poetry and prose. It will be my next venture.
Cheers,
Dennis
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Perhaps I enjoyed it more than most as we are privy to this very site in our front yard, just out the picture window. For almost 40 years the woodpeckers have been a true source of entertainment, but I feel you most aptly describe the “interactions”. Well done.
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This one had a real personality, curious; yet we didn’t hold his interest for long. He had more important places to go and things to see.
Cheers,
Dennis
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Thanks for your kind words. I enjoy your blog very much, especially the post “Loving Lampposts” concerning autism. I have a personal interest in Asperger’s Syndrome. Your posts answered a lot of my questions.
Sincerely,
Dennis
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Thanks for your kind words. I am fascinated with your blog and your books in progress. Please let me know when they have been published.
Cheers,
Dennis
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I have just completed a third draft of “Delight and Disorder” – which I plan to “shop” to publishers beginning in August. My goal is to publish in 2014 – March (Mental Health Month) would be ideal.
I may be looking for advance readers, if you would be interested. Just let me know. I’ll consult my editor about timing, but I would greatly value your perspective on the book.
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Dennis Cardiff: Poems and Prose 
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