The Quiet in the Nest

I often find myself returning to ponder –
just how I might live more deliberately, and why.

The latter may even be the most important question,
but neither can stand on one leg,
and so, I must answer them both
to get any real support out of the matter.

While answering never offers
a complete resolution,
the query is always satisfied
with a meaningful purpose.

It shears off the dead ends
rather than bringing me to one,
and so, for a time,
I can continue.

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Mark B. Hamilton (MFA, University of Montana) works in ecopoetry, often focused on the riparian zone of the Missouri River, where he has traveled extensively by kayak. His special interests include: First Nations cosmologies, pre-industrial America, and the poetics of change. Recent poetry volumes: LAKE, RIVER, MOUNTAIN (Cornerstone Press, University of Wisconsin, 2024), the chapbook UPSTREAM (Finishing Line Press, 2024), and OYO: The Beautiful River (Shanti Arts Publishing, 2020) are available online and direct from publishers.
As a scholar of pre-industrial America, his researched essays have appeared in: The Heritage of the Great Plains, The Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society, We Proceeded On, and History Magazine, with inclusion into the Folk Life Archives, US Library of Congress. For additional information about the author, view: http://www.MarkBHamilton.WordPress.com