Breaking Through

Sea Turtle Breaking Through

Swimming and pushing hard
through the daily tightness,
teasing oxygen from the ocean
my loggerhead turtle is determined
to gain mileage and not take forever
to get safely ashore.
She must be vigilant
watch out for predators
and escape from a sea lion
to find a home
on a sandy beach and look
for a safe place to lay her eggs.

She did not burrow like a clam
on the bottom of the ocean.
Instead, she smashes
through the roaring blue-green waves.
With her bright determined body,
she is strong of heart,
breaking through all setbacks,
knowing time is running out.
If she arrives on the sand
she will haul
herself up the beach at night
and lay her fragile eggs.

Contents

Part One

Our Community of Dairy Cows//1
Oak Tree Monarch//4
Black-Capped Chickadees in Madison//6
Hunger Drives Evolution//8
Japanese Cherry Tree-Sakura//10
Lucca Biodynamic//11
Wounds of War//13
It's Complicated//15
Landscape of Change//16
Beloved Adino//18
Milford Track//21
Butterflies Rock the Block//23
A Galaxy of Worlds, Boreal Conifer Forest//24
Columbia Quindio Wax Palm Trees//26
Watching Three Blue Leviathans//28
A Geyser Erupting//30
Deacon Grave's Native Wildflower Walk//32


Part Two

The Fightback of the Kirkland Warbler//37
Black Birds Fly//38
Hiking Along to Acadia//40
Imperiled Rhythms of the Great Barrier Reef//42
The End of the Line//44
Snowball the Cockatoo Grooves//47
Family//49
Celestial Divination//51
Star Viewpoint//54
Starry Sky Connections//56
Moon Gazing//58
Hannah//59
Alyssa//61
Visit from my Grandson//63
Integrity and Dignity from Deep Within//64
Good Luck and Safe Crossing//66
White-Breasted Nuthatches//68
Our Orchard//69
Breaking Through//70
Lakewood Ranch-Another World