Diane Arbus
was the inspiration for this week’s Kick About
Franciscan Community Center (Thursday Doors)
I picture you surrounded by birds,
a reflection of earthsong–
(follow the wheel, the seasons that heal)
echoing the light both dusk and dawn
A time to sleep, a time to return,
a time for meditation–
(the seasons that heal follow the wheel)
quietness that precedes creation
You knew the value of letting go,
seeking only what is found–
(follow the wheel, the seasons that heal)
to open up is to be unbound
The Franciscan Community Center, on West 97th Street, serves as a vibrant neighborhood meeting place that continues the vision of St Francis to help those in need. Designed by architect Raphael Hume in 1923, it is part of the Holy Name Church complex, although I did not know that until I started researching the building. Since 1991, it has been offering social services to the neighborhood that include counseling, senior services, a migrant center, a food pantry, and a thrift store. It also rents space and houses Theater West 97th, a space for local people to perform.
Before the Franciscans took over the parish in 1990, the building was known as Holy Name House, and served as a neighborhood recreational center. You can read more about its history here.
The door details are particularly lovely.
My poem is a ZaniLa rhyme, in a roundabout way on the subject of dormancy, for Muri’s Scavenger Hunt. St. Francis of Assisi renounced his wealthy inheritance to embrace a life of poverty and charity after a vision of Jesus. He is known for his love of animals and the natural world, and was named the Patron Saint of Ecology by Pope John Paul in 1974. One thing I did not know is that he is also the namesake of San Francisco.
I have lots of photos of Holy Name of Jesus Church on 96th Street, none of them very good. But you can get some idea of it from this one. Hopefully I can get some better ones in the future, and write about the church itself.
And don’t forget to check out all the doors at Thursday Doors, hosted by Dan Antion.
Brooklyn Botanical Garden 2 (Thursday Doors)
The shades of autumn speak
in a a language that needs no words–
like sky reflected in water
Like trees reflected in glass,
like leaves floating on time–
the shades of autumn speak.
Leaves whisper on the wind–
light echoes inside form
in a language that needs no words.
As seasons seek connection
the boundaries intersect–
like sky reflected in water.
The Brooklyn Botanical Garden opened in 1911, fell into disrepair as the century progressed as so much of the city did, and was restored in the 1980s. Even though I lived in Brooklyn for a short time in the 70s, I never visited the garden until I had children. We went fairly often in the early 2000s.
The Steinhardt Conservatory stands at the edge of the Lily Pool Terrace, which contains over 100 varieties of water lilies and lotuses. The Conservatory itself includes a bonsai museum and and aquatic greenhouse, so it’s on my list to visit the next time I get to the garden. Find more photos and information here.
At the other end of the pool is the Laboratory Administration Building, designed by the famous architecture firm of McKim Mead and White. Opened in 1918, it was designated a NYC Landmark in 2007. Inspired by European churches, the interior has a Greek Cross layout. You can read more about it here.
My poem is a cascade about autumn, for Muri’s Scavenger hunt, and includes the word shade, which is Esther Chilton’s writing prompt for this week. I’ve been wanting to do one of her prompts for a long time.
And you can always find more doors at Thursday Doors, hosted by Dan Antion.
Greater Sage Grouse (Draw a Bird Day)
expansive,
this clinquant carpet–
roots capture
water, feed
both animal and plant life–
keep the land intact
The greater sage grouse is the largest grouse in North America. Its only habitat is the plains, foot hills, and mountain slopes where sagebrush grows. This makes it extremely vulnerable to habitat loss; the population of sixteen million 100 years ago is now estimated to be less than 500,000. This decline is due to the usual issues: clearing of land, overgrazing, residential and energy development, herbicides, wildfires, and non-native invasive species. Despite these issues, Congress declined to list these birds as endangered.
Both males and females have brownish grey mottled feathers, but the males are distinguished by yellow patches above their eyes and yellow air sacs on their neck which they inflate during their elaborate courtship rituals. As they puff out their chests, they fan their tails into starbursts and emit pops and whistles.
Each spring up to seventy males gather in a group called a lek to perform for several hours in the morning and evening while the females watch. Only one or two dominant males win the contest to mate with the females. Males do not participate in chick-rearing.
Seventy percent of the sage grouse diet consists of sage. They also eat dandelion, legumes, yarrow and wild lettuces. Insects are the primary food for chicks. Sage grouse nest on the ground and adequate cover is crucial for nesting. Predators include coyotes, bobcats, badgers, falcons, and eagles. Crows, ravens, and magpies feed on juveniles and prey on nests.
My poem is a shadorma for Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday, using a word from the uncommon fall words list she provided. I chose “clinquant”, which means glittering with gold and silver, to describe the sagebrush ecosystem which can look both silvery, from the sagebrush vegetation, and golden, from the pale yellow flowers that appear in late summer.
Sagebrush is the foundation for this ecosystem which supports many native species besides the sage grouse, including burrowing owls, pygmy rabbits, mule deer, pronghorn, and bighorn sheep. The Audubon website says “Nearly 100 bird species depend on sagebrush country for their habitat needs.” It is a beautiful landscape, well worth preserving.
The Kick-About #142 ‘Vertumnus’
Fun with foliage.
Torii Gate (Thursday Doors)
pond
reflected landscape–
koi swirl, surfacing
path
circles around–
another gate appears
time
is lost
in cloudless sky
looking
for turtles–
sun-dappled rocks
threshold
crosses over–
matter becomes spirit
Torii Gates are Japanese Shinto structures marking the entrance to sacred spaces such as shrines, temples, or natural landscapes. They serve as transitioning boundaries between the ordinary and spiritual worlds. The vermilion red color symbolizes vitality and life force, and also has the power to ward off evil.
After seeing the Moomins at the library, my daughter and I went to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, a short walk down Eastern Parkway, right next to the Brooklyn Museum. We wanted to visit the koi pond in the Japanese Garden, which we realized we had not gone to see in over ten years. The koi are still busy begging, although unlike during our previous visits no one was feeding them when we were there.
We then walked the path around the pond before wandering a bit through other parts of the Garden and heading home. I photographed some other doors, but those are for another post.
I’ve taken inspiration from two prompts this week for my poems, while at the same time following neither one. Michelle at W3 offered the hay(na)ku poetry form, one which I like a lot. I did not, however, follow through with the suggested theme of love. Instead, inspired by Selma’s Tanka Tuesday prompt to use Basho’s work as a jumping off point, I wrote a group of five hay(na)kus that reflected my visit to the Japanese Garden.
And, as always, don’t forget to look for more doors at Thursday Doors, hosted by Dan Antion.
October 2025
The days cling together, drifting like fallen leaves on a pond. Nothing is certain. Movement is constant, uncapturable, unpredictable. I wander, enchanted, as light translates form—arrhythmic, yet patterned in colors, shadows, currents. Afloat on autumn’s tides, the earth dreams.
squirrel pauses, waiting
for a handout—mallard drifts
in the ebb and flow–
time hesitates, caught between
tangled seasons–shapeshifting
I decided to do something a little different this month for my grid by using a selection of autumn photos from my archives. These were taken mostly in Central Park and Riverside Park, with a couple from the Botanical Garden in the Bronx. I love the light of autumn–my favorite season.
My tanka haibun is for the dVerse prompt from Mish and Muri’s Scavenger Hunt #1 prompt to write about (fallen) leaves.
“The Door Is Always Open” (Thursday Doors)
Where shall we go this evening?
Side by side adventuring
lost in a world of words
Stumbling over and over
through a mysterious landscape
in a sea of happiness
Who are these strange creatures?
Dreaming their way through winter
awakening with the spring
Bound collectively
by the love of family
and the loyalty of friends
I’m not sure what got us on the subject of Moomintroll, but I remarked to my younger daughter that there was an exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library called Tove Jansson and The Moomins: The Door Is Always Open. She said “Let’s go!” and we did.
There were lots of interactive displays, including the house at the top, and these books with doors and information about the Moomins and their stories and creation inside.
The exhibit also included copies of the Moomin books in many languages, other adult books that Tove Jansson wrote, her art, and some of the toys, games, animations, shows, and other offshoots of the original stories and books. Jansson lived a full and self-directed artistic life; her “door was always open.”
I had never been to the Central Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, although my daughter went there often in high school. You can apply for a card if you live in one of the other boroughs, and she had gotten one. The outside was under scaffolding, but the entrance on the inside is quite grand.
And here’s the entrance to the atrium where part of the exhibit was from the inside. It’s a beautiful bright space.
My poem is for Punam’s prompt at dVerse, to write about happiness. Nothing made me happier than to read aloud to my children. And the Moomintroll books were delightful in every way. If you don’t know them, and want to know more about them, their website is here. Speaking from experience, they are equally enjoyable for adults and children.
And, as always, look for more doors at Thursday Doors, hosted by Dan Antion.
I’ll have to calm down a bit, or else I’ll burst with happiness.
–Moomintroll
Spinning
This week’s Kick-About played around with tops.
Grace
In case you forgot what real leadership is like…
method two madness 
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