November Robins



Breast the color
Of weathered bricks
Shiny black head
Of the male
Duller charcoal black 
Of the female
Dirty yellow beak
Feathers charcoal grey
Beads of black for eyes
Accentuated by rings of white

It is the eyes
Which captivate
Seeming to penetrate 
Deeply into my soul
They remain fixed
Not deterred
By my return gaze

In Ireland
The robin (spideog) 
Is considered to be
Sacred
Believed to have
Acquired its red chest from 
The blood of Jesus
When removing 
Pain-inflicting thorns 
From His crown
As He hung on the cross

Many cultures
Attribute Legends 
of heroism and self-sacrifice
To the small birds
Calling their red breasts 
A badge of honor

The American robin
Is a thrush
The European robin
An Old-World flycatcher
United by the red breast
They are both called robins

Scientists say
The robin’s eyes
Sense the weak force
Of the earth’s magnetic field
Giving them a compass to navigate by
What force do they sense
From me
What do they wish me to understand?


I wonder
What causes me to be
 Filled with awe
And covered with goosebumps
As I gaze into the eyes
Of these birds
Believed by many
To be messengers for those 
In the spirit world.

November robins
Eleven of them 
Living in their winter flock
Hop around the yard
Pulling up worms 
From the earth
Soon they will be existing
On berries and seeds
As winter hardens
The earth.

November robins
Hopping from branch to branch
Atop the crab apple tree
Feeding on their winter food
As mother deer
And her fawn 
Munch the fruit
Fallen below

Yes, winter is coming
But spring will return
And I will once again
Work in the garden beds
With these same robins
Living in pairs
Singing that familiar 
Courting tune 
They will sit nearby 
Waiting for me to unearth
A scrumptious treasure

But for today
I will enjoy
The gift 
Of 
Robins in November!
Summer

Love

Love

As a person of faith and wonder
As a resident of this troubled country
Of this hurting world,
As a person
I believe
That Love is the answer
Love heals
Comforts, supports
Includes, affirms

Love is an energy for good
That energy will bring peace
And compassion
To the human heart
Then from each heart
Open to witnessing
Expressing love
In all its forms
There will be ripples
Which will spread to our families
Communities
Countries
World

If only
We push aside
The curtains of fear
And hate
Greed 
and power lust
If only we dare to
Open our hearts
To seeing Love
Knowing Love
Feeling Love
Sharing Love.

Amen.
May it be so.


Patricia O’Connor
patocwriter.com

There is Joy



There is joy
In being understood
And accepted
Even in the understanding

There is joy
In being in the presence
Of one who truly cares about you
Without judgement

Fear of failure
Of not measuring up
Of not being seen
As perfect
All melt away

And as fear dissipates
Joy expands
Fills, lifts
Life blossoms

Life can be so hard
In the presence of rancor
And passionate disagreement
In a world where it seems
Lies are the norm
Greed is okay
Hate is applauded
Life can be so hard

But there is joy
In laughing
With a true friend
At our human foibles

There is joy
In an unexpected
Beverage break
In a welcoming space
Encountering new friends
And almost new.

There is joy
In a mountain vista
In red, crunchy apples
Dripping out deliciousness
With each bite
In autumn flowers
Holding court
For buzzing bees
And elegant butterflies

There is joy
In that first bite
Of fall’s special
An apple cider donut!

There is joy
In lifting my face
To partake of a heavenly shower
So welcome
After a seemingly interminable drought

There is joy~
And for that
I am most grateful
May I hold faith
That even when
The world
Seems so cruel
So heartless
That there will always
Be spaces
Places
And people
Of joy!



Patricia O’Connor
September 2025

Check out this video!

The book is called Spirit in Creation: Two Women, One Vision Finding Peace and Truth in Creation. It was written by myself and Marjorie Burke. It is a “story” of a year + in our lives when we immersed ourselves in creation and wrote what moved us. It was a year of turmoil in our world, but peace within our beings. We share this peace with all of you by posting this video of a poem from the book. This is from a reading at Two Villages Art Studio in Contoocook, NH. The book is available at Two Villages, local bookstores in NH, at Mercy By the Sea in CT and through my website patocwriter.com

patocwriter.com

Come and See

Dawn

Dawn

Alleluia!
Another day has emerged
From the dark of night
A brilliant blood orange globe climbs
From its birthing bed
On distant shore

Its beauty grows
As it rises
Its image reflecting off
The morning looking glass
Repeating from shore to shore
Its beauty enhanced
With strings of brilliance
Like blinking 
Christmas lights
Strung across
The tiny ripples frosting mid lake

Ethereal wisps of moisture
Waft across the lake
Dancing a minuet
In celebration of dawn

The dam dribbles water
Creating a background choir
Of bubbling and gurgling
To this morning show

Aha!
The feathered section
Has now awoken
Spilling out their joy 
With chirps and tweets

A turtle head pops up
To peer at the sky
A masterpiece of creation

Waah, waah, waah resounds
As a bird flies low over the water
Rhythmically creating air turbulence 
With her mighty wings
The loons gliding across the water
Hunting for breakfast
Do not shout alarm
The mighty bird must be friend
Not foe.

All else is still
People wrapped in blankets
Hands warmed
By chosen morning drinks
Sit in reverent silence
Upon the end of their dock

This morning production
Is never shut down
It changes daily
But always is gift

I breathe deeply
The cool air
Of Little Lake Sunapee
And give thanks for creation
For life
For peace
In this little corner of our world
This heavenly space.


Patricia O’Connor 
August 2025


Insomnia


Through an opening
in the forest
A C-shaped swath 
Of sky is visible
From my front row cot
Inviting me to connect 
With the night sky

Sleep evaded me
There was so much to hear
To see
Coyotes howling, yipping and screaming
Barred owls calling out
But most of all
The backdrop
The silence of the forest

The stars emerge
As our eyes adjust
They decorate and illuminate
The night sky
One by one
Then hundreds
Thousands
They light up
Diamonds glittering against black velvet
Twinkling even
Then closer flashes appear
Darting amongst the vegetation
Fireflies 
Join the midnight show

A different light 
Moves across the sky
At an unhurried pace
It traverses the canvas
Made by human hands
The space station
Plays its cameo role

Joy overtakes me
My chest expands
As I lie under the stars
On this summer night
Beside the love of my life
Who lies also enchanted
Filled with awe
Absorbing
The glorious gift
Of this starry arch
This nocturnal show

Then
The Grand Finale
A streak of light
Shoots through the sky
A meteor in its swan song
A shooting star!

Can life get any better than this?
Insomnia never felt so wonderful.


Finding Peace, Seeking Hope


We live
Here in the United States of America
In a time of uncertainty
A time of rancor 
And division. 
We know not who to believe
Who to trust
Neighbors seem to turn
Upon each other
So staunch they may be
In the beliefs they hold
  
There is an energy
Of fear
And even hatred,
Blaming and shaming

Many are exhausted
 Worn out 
By the negativity
Polluting our world.

Pull yourself away
From the news
The arguments
And dwell in creation

Sit and listen to the breeze
Flowing through the trees
Psithurism
Rest by a river
Experience the endless
Sound
Of water tumbling,
Flowing
Susurrus

Walk through an art gallery
Witness creations 
Borne of a tiny spark
Of inspiration
And belief

Read a book
Of poetry
Ride with the authors
On their journey
Through 
Creation to peace
To truth
To hope

Spirit in Creation: 
Two Women, One Vision
  Finding Peace and Truth in Creation

This new creation by Marjorie Burke and Patricia O'Connor can be ordered at patocwriter.com
or purchased at many independent bookstores in NH