sunlight striking the sleek black fur of a panther an outrageous joke Verdi

seeing Bora Bora from the deck of a cruise ship rearranging furniture mist at dawn presaging a hot day

vanilla vines growing in Mexico kindnesses Aesop’s fables

the helpfulness of bats the sweet fragrance of plumeria blossoms remembering something funny and laughing out loud

hot summer nights in the city the patience of a donkey receiving an unexpected present

friends coming your way a misty morning the curragh of kildare

sleeping all through the night the lost city of Petra a friend for life

The Guesthouse by Rumi a pale, clear aquamarine reading a novel in the middle of the day

the Taj Mahal remembering a friend’s generosity freshly ground coffee

re-reading poems you used to know well waking early to the cawing of crows, loud starlings and sparrows, and a rooster’s crow the white cliffs of Dover

deep woods on a summer afternoon anticipation singing old folk songs with friends

the island of Iona being kissed first thing in the morning a kind deed

cornflower blue the splash of a fountain summer nights in a foreign city

Fresh pillow cases Asking the question, “Why?” in a dream Hermes, the Messenger God

The enormous blossoms on the catalpa tree A whole day ahead of you with no plans Scrying

After the guests all leave The Manhattan skyline on a late summer afternoon Cell phones for communicating with friends and family whenever you want

Equanimity and calm The bray of a donkey Dreaming of an enormous slab of dark blue sapphire

A sphere of selenite Seeing Saturn through a telescope Getting married

A glorious fireworks display Fireflies blinking in summer A boogie-woogie band from the sixties

A gray dawn in summer Walking a labyrinth that is not yet there The smell of wild roses

Whirling as a dervish whirls Imagining roses everywhere Remembering Elizabeth Enright’s The Saturdays

Fresh milk from the farm Bright orange salamanders on the dark, muddy way High summer