Essays

While I drive through thick darkness, relief, discouragement, and frustration collide. A brief sense of hope, like a sliver of new moon on a cloud drifted night, accompanies an odd jumble of feelings reminiscent of a six-month old child with unfathomable new capacities, lashing out without the faintest idea why. Something big is happening. My bones know. A familiar voice mutters, “You’re giving up.” Something wiser is not listening.

Monarch Butterflies danced in a continuous stream across our yard between June and September 2021. We saw nearly a monarch a day and sometimes several, more than I’d ever seen in one summer. Long hours of gardening in this time of COVID brought the amazing migratory journey of these delicate creatures into sharp focus.