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HUM: A lyrical field journal

Poems and essays inspired by Northern landscapes, wildlife, and inspiring writers

A Wish for Silent Nights

The owl’s ability to hear was greater than most. I tested mine by turning my back to the reeds. Could I detect their movements in the wind by sound unaided by sight?

Acts of Discovery: Waves to Shells and Floods to Flowers

The first time I walked a Pacific Ocean beach was as a girl on a trip to Washington. Feeling electrified, I waded among the tumultuous movements and sounds from the waves.

The Pine

Suffers from a wound. Its resin flows like a stream, down the trunk…

Lake Breezes, Now and Before

I wish I might always feel their presence …

The Way

Of the way the bumblebee goes, hangs upside down …

Serenity

Let the peace of a summer night ascend burdens from the day …

The Valley

It was there when the wind parted the leaves …

Summer Pictures

A goldfinch erupts from a thistle colony …

On a Summer’s Day

Yellow spears of loosestrife band together and march along the creek …

About the Future

I’m not afraid; buttercups glow like fireflies in the night sky …

Melissa Kalinowski

Melissa Kalinowski

Poet & Writer | Self-taught Naturalist

Across the changing seasons, I hike and observe the natural wonders around the Minnesota Valley. These grounds inspire me to write. My poems have appeared in Concision Poetry Journal, Kaleidoscope, and others.