Reframing
opening the aperture
i hang a seed wreath from a bare pussywillow branch—
a wreath of seeds for my neighborhood wintering birds.
i watch in wonder as word spreads
with high-speed internet alacrity from
nuthatch to tufted titmouse to chickadee to cardinal,
and i’m dazzled two days later when the weight of snow
arches several pussywillow branches to create the prettiest
of little shelters over the seed wreath,
and even more birds come—
woodpecker, bluebird, blue jay, sparrow.
so much joy i take in observing these friends
in a dance of color, tuft, wing, and alertness
as they jockey gently for position, move closer, hop back,
alight, cock their heads, wait their turn, snag a snack.
this morning, however, a week later,
no wreath on the tree,
no lively congregation of birds. instead,
a single gray squirrel in the space beneath the bench
on the deck adjacent to the pussywillow,
feasting on the bounty of the brazenly purloined
and fiercely guarded wreath.
gotta say, my first reaction is
git, you thieving varmint!
but,
maybe this is an opportunity to practice “both/and”—
maybe i can be both irritated and generous?
maybe i can imagine a tag on the wreath, a tag that says
wreath for absolutely every seed-eating neighborhood critter
or, better yet, maybe i can place a tag on my own heart that says
(and was i not just the other day saying this?)
absolutely everything is a chance to give love.
—dotty seiter
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detail from a larger painting;
ink and watercolor pencil on paper
Let’s Face It With Friends series
2026
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Notes on poem and art:
• “Opening” was a self-reminder to do just that, i.e. to open my heart a little wider to let in more light.
• Big Hair is also a reminder that if not for letting in a little more light and thereby increasing my receptivity and capacity, I might never have met this new friend with her admirably abundant big hair and accompanying spectacularly sizable sense of humor.
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11 responses to “Reframing”
What an important message! Yes, we have to open our hearts! I will have to be more lenient with the stray black cat that scares my 2 yard cats and steals their Friskies, not to mention other issues in our daily journey! I love how I learn new words from your great vocabulary!
Friend with big hair! Curious to know just what she is gossiping about!
Indeed: the stray black cat that scares your 2 yeard cats and steals their Friskies, NOT TO MENTION OTHER ISSUES IN OUR DAILY JOURNEY!
We certainly get ample opportunity to learn, don’tcha think??!
No telling what Big Hair might be holding forth about! But it looks big!
Thanks for your comments from 5500 miles away and 7 hours ahead on the clock, Carol : )
What a wonderful poem…and I can so relate! When I put feed in the feeders I almost alway accidently spill some seed on the ground for the squirrels. Yes…..Everything’s a chance to give love.
Just the other day I was literally thinking of the concept of both/and. Most things are.
And other Friendly Found Face…this time with big hair! I was worried that you were done with the series…so I was delighted to see her! She’s fabulous!
Thanks for your feedback on opening the aperture, MaryAnn. I (and I think also those in proximity to me!) benefit in countless ways from opening the aperture to practice seeing everything as a chance to give love. And, it’s important for me to practice both/and, to open myself to being in paradox.
That friend with big hair is a compelling character! I think she has a bunch of both/and in her and isn’t afraid to recognize and live all of it!
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Simone, hello! Thank you for letting me know you can see these lovely creatures in your mind’s eye—so happy to hear that! The squirrel in question has long since dragged the seed wreath away (and I think the timing was such that a snow storm followed almost immediately!), but I can still envision the whole scene in my mind’s eye nonetheless : )
Huh, in this moment, having read your comment, I find myself reflecting on earlier bits of my day, noting places where I forgot to give love. So I’ll give it now, though less directly. Still and all, even “after the fact,” a welcome shift in how I metabolize my earlier resistance. Thanks, Lola!
The big hair! WAYYYY bigger than my own!
Joke’s often on me, gotta say! Miight as well giggle and welcome the reminder that the world is bigger than my limited vision : ) Might as well make friends with the big-haired gal : )
