Moments in the Park
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Appreciation

The phrase Moments in the Park was originally used to describe short prose poems inspired by observations on walks through Horton Park and other outdoor spaces. Throughout 2016, I crafted Moments in the Park as a daily practice. You can read more about that journey in this essay. I have continued to write Moments in the Park, just not as frequently as that first year.
Here you will find the prose poems as well as expansions telling the story of the inspiration, reflecting on a related theme, or digging deeper into learning about the subject.
The activities in the Appreciation section of the Start with a Park practice are designed to inspire you to create in collaboration with a park near you, in images, words, getting out on a limb (literally!) by climbing a tree, or through food. I would love to see what you create and would be honored to share your creations here.

Share Your Creations

Moment: May 13, 2018, 2:00 p.m.

5/13/2018

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A red pine bends into a graceful curve, holding space for a long-departed companion.
My parents' back yard, Roseville, MN
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Moment: May 1, 2018, 5:45 a.m.

5/1/2018

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An Ohio buckeye’s multitude of clenched fists slowly uncurl, tender fingers reaching out to taste the warm spring rain.
Horton Park
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Moment: April 17, 2018, 6:45 a.m.

4/17/2018

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A pair of cottonwood branches felled in the storm lean against their trunk, limbs entangled like Romeo and Juliet in a fatal embrace.
Hamline Hi-Rise
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Moment: March 7, 2018, 6:30 a.m.

3/7/2018

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A fine layer of rime cocoons each long needle of the red pines, and the trees seem to melt into the predawn mist.
Horton Park
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Moment: December 29, 2017, 7:45 a.m.

12/29/2017

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Thin strokes of snow outline the graceful sweep of elm branches spread wide, as though offering a benediction.
Horton Park

I like to think the benediction offered was one often used at St. Paul's United Church of Christ: "Remember that life is short. We do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who walk this way with us. So, be swift to love and make haste to be kind."
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Moment: December 20, 2017, 4:30 p.m.

12/20/2017

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A spruce veils herself in the lace of a leafless basswood, its pointed crown echoing her silhouette.
Hamline Ave.
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Moment: December 16, 2017, 10:00 a.m.

12/16/2017

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Live oaks spread above cobbles, their limbs as wrenched and twisted as the history they may have witnessed.
Congo Square, Louis Armstrong Park, New Orleans

In the early 19th century, slaves gathered in Congo Square on Sundays to dance and sing.
I don't know if the live oaks around the square are quite that old, but they do seem to have imbued the history of the place.

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Moment: Dec. 3, 2017, 7:00 a.m.

12/3/2017

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Picture
My front yard
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Moment: November 18, 2017

11/20/2017

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Gnarled roots enfold clutches of jumbled stones, stalwart remnants of earth long since washed downstream.
Hidden Falls Regional Park

Saturday afternoon was sunny and kind of not cold. Since wintery temperatures have settled in, it's been harder to get the kids outside for any length of time, so I decided to seize the opportunity. We bundled up and headed down to Hidden Falls Park. We hung out on the beach along the Mississippi for an hour or so. We tried to skip stones, but mostly just ended up throwing them in the water.

At intervals along the shore, there was a series of large trees - maybe cottonwoods? (My tree identification skills falter when there aren't any leaves to go by.) They each stood on a gnarled heap of roots, apparently exposed as the sandy shore eroded underneath them. The roots made great jungle gyms. The nooks and crannies in the roots were filled with stones. Some had clearly been placed there by previous visitors, but most seemed to have just settled naturally. Some had even been caught in the tree itself as it grew around them.
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Moment: November 15, 2017, 6:30 a.m.

11/15/2017

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Caressed by a tender breeze,  white pines ripple with pleasure.
Horton Park
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    Tracy Kugler

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