BIRDBATH

BIRDBATH         wood sculpture by Candace Knapp      
24 inches  x 24 inches  x 13 inches    Photo Bjorn Andren         

BIRDBATH

I’m very careful stepping into this water.
It’s cold.
I turn my head and look for hawks.
I listen for dangerous sounds
rustling in the bushes.
This is a vulnerable moment.
I slide watchfully into my sixty fifth year of life.
So this is what it feels like!
The water slips beneath my feathers
and I shimmy a little...
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
It feels pretty good.
I crouch down and let it roll over my back,
slip around my neck and then
I dunk my head right in
and start flapping and wiggling.
I step around in a flamboyant dance
forgetting about danger
forgetting everything that was holding me back...
OH I am so alive now and so clean
There is a freshness that makes this birthday
a whole new beginning!

UNDERCURRENT

UNDERCURRENT     acrylic on canvas by Candace Knapp
60 inches x 44 inches          Photo   Bjorn Andren  


UNDERCURRENT

Remember the house on Baker Street
that slid so far out of reach
that long night in October?
There were some strange moments in our childhood
... funny how the memories drift,
bump into one another out in the back yard
where we were camping under the old army blanket.
I remember how cold we were
and the sudden appearance of a neighbor’s cat,
eyes like fireflies appearing ... disappearing
strange night sounds ... creeping ... rustling..
little cloud girls playing soccer with the moon
while heavy branches bent and creaked overhead.
Mom and Dad were safe in their cosy bed
deep beneath the covers of night
dreaming and waking
their hearts watching over us.
Now these forty years have passed
and they are still there...
watching...
listening...
Love never changes.
Love never dies.

TWEET

TWEET   wood sculpture by Candace Knapp
50 inches x 18 inches x 14 inches   Photo Bjorn Andren
       
TWEET

Tweet  tweeeeeeeeeeeet
Get outa my way!
I’m goin to the right
I’m goin to the left
Had some hiberdy jiberdy reasons to run after you
but then I forgot
my head got all wobbly and I started to
Tweeeeeeeeeet
and the bounce
the bounce was about to kill me
all flyuppance and wonder
bleary eyed and following who?
So I just sat down in a pile
I stopped
all movements died down
quiet like I realized
I’ve got nothing but the sound of my own voice
so I said it again
I said it    R  e  a  l     L  o  u  d
TWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET !
And you know what?
I felt better.

PUDDLE JUMP

PUDDLE JUMP   wood sculpture by Candace Knapp
20 inches x 14 inches x  11 inches   Photo Bjorn Andren


PUDDLE JUMP

early morning chill
long walk down a wet sidewalk
puddles from the rain last night
feet and breath in rhythm
city waking up
slow and constant movement
morning sounds

suddenly ... SPLASH

what a beautiful shape !
my eye snaps a picture for my mind
and it is gone
it exists and then it doesn’t

Does it matter how long a life lasts
if it was beautiful
and someone noticed?