On a bare oak branch
fluffed and still as our held breath
–the owl blinks, then soars.

I shot this photograph in Woodstock, NY, last weekend. At the top of the mountain, a monastery sits surrounded by prayer flags. As I walked through the snow to a frozen pond, with each step, I felt the fullest silence. Today these flags seem to me to be a fitting meditation—the tattered beauty, their fragility, a responsiveness to wind—for peaceful action and freedom. I was in the city as the protests began this week. New York has responded to human loss with powerful focus. I pray that peaceful responses continue to express what a society feels, fears and works together to change.

What does prayer look like
a dance, the wind, pen to page
–the tears of our time?

One visits the wind
a solitary climber
–under the hawk’s wing.

These guys play Dueling Banjos with gusto—heads turning, eyes blazing, fingers picking. The Upper West Side stops to giggle and shoot pictures. Even during a week of press-hyped fear, we carry on and even celebrate the silly. Happy Halloween, NYC.

Elaborate ghosts
dance above the brownstone door
–as garbage trucks growl.

Just saw a pumpkin
the size of a Volkswagen
–artists are funny.

Real cobwebs and vines
dangle from dagger gables
–don’t ring that doorbell.

The distant mountain range—comprised of Guardian, Indian Head, Meads—is considered sacred, housing a Tibetan monastery. A trail that reaches the fire tower at the top of the range may reveal rattlesnakes and bears, depending on the weather. This beauty changes with each season, deepening with the cold, opening again in spring to bloom and wildlife.

Falling from midnight
the colors of autumn drop
–and we wake, amazed.

Along the wire fence
pine needles like clothespins hang
–bobbing with the wind.

The pond’s perfect gaze
holds a mountain’s reflection
–with three passing clouds.

On the brownstone stairs
a collection of pumpkins
–glowing with sunset.

In the mountain’s rise
this first hint of sky clearing
–golden as maples.

The last blooms of summer linger into September in Woodstock, NY.