After the Snow Moon

I leave another dream of trying to find my way home

After the Snow Moon

First light is a petal-
soft wash, forget-me-nots 

& birdseye speedwell
blooms, the dog’s arctic-

blue eyes, watching
& waiting for me to slip 

back into the waking world.
I leave another dream 

of trying to find my way
home, this time by 

following the rattling call 
of a belted kingfisher, 

or was it a Northern flicker?
Nothing is as it seems

& I am not here
or there, until the dog

jumps onto the bed,
fills the space between us.

Forget-me-nots found growing along the Watauga River in Valle Crucis, North Carolina. Photo by Mary Katherine Creel