Difficult Names

 

January 26, 2021

Started before light a revision/proofreading of Difficult Names, didn’t finish, as the task was turning out to be bigger than anticipated. Yesterday I was congratulating myself on how wonderful the poems were; today I’m wondering why the press accepted them, they’re so faulty and flawed. Plus, I have a hard time reading Times New Roman.

Stepped away from the computer and drove to the Hard Times trail head. It had rained all night, and it was difficult to see for light glancing off standing water everywhere in the forest.  Low places exploded–quite suddenly–with the chorus of amorous frogs. The first time I heard it I couldn’t identify it– a machine? Some huge animal I didn’t know rooting through the undergrowth?  Of all sounds the best. The hooded mergansers were joined on the lake by three big Canadas. Saw a black vulture, a kingfisher (I might say THE kingfisher), cardinals, chickadees, and a huge fish near the dam. I took it for a trout. Walked new paths away from the lake. One– Pine Ridge, Pine something– was exquisitely abandoned. I rejoiced in my aloneness on a wooded ridge overlooking the creek. Humans–especially the females–are incredibly loud. I don’t know why they come to the forest to chatter to each other, when that can be done to everyone’s better content elsewhere. 

Two very cute sanitation workers brought my bear-proof trash can. It has a bear on the lid, I guess to drive the point home.

Had a hard time giving myself the day off.