A Beautiful Fall Morning
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Inspired by this morning, 15 October 2014
Not normally a blank verse person, but a rhymer; and knowing very little re the different formats for lyric, poetry and prose, this was different. Well, inspired is inspired, I guess. We live in the heart of suburbia, but are fortunate enough to live on a cul-de-sac that backs up to an older addition consisting only of six 5 acre lots on one street, each with a fairly large home on the property. Since they built on the fronts of their of their acreages, the rear 80% of each is directly behind my property, providing over 20 acres of natural grass lands dotted with cedars, Chinese elms, and a cottonwood here and there. A thick tree line of Chinese elms borders the full length of my northern property line (165'). Since the dentist who owns the adjacent property is a "greenie", we hope it will remain there until after we pass. We've enjoyed 21 years of being close to nature. We routinely have geese and ducks visit the yard at particular times of the year. Occasionally, we have a skunk or possum visit, looking for eats. We had an armadillo family for a few weeks, and occasional raccoons. A few years ago, a family of red foxes became regular visitors; but they all passed away...two in the yard. Red foxes are a threatened species and their ranks are being decimated by a disease that causes deterioration of skin and fur, as well as internal organs. There is little way to control its spread, even if they had a serum. Oklahoma State vets told me the species is endangered, but not by man, and could be extinct in a few years. Sorry for the downer. I got sidetracked. It's a nice yard.
Very early Fall morning…crisp and clear.
Sitting on the patio, sipping hot coffee.
Only my path to and from the bird feeders,
Rain gutters hung on the stockade fence,
Has disturbed the beautiful, glistening dew
Blanketing a lush, green Bermuda lawn
Awaiting the season’s final mow and a Winter sleep.
Early morning sunsmile creates a mist, a little fog,
That artists have great difficulty recreating.
And the sprinklers are making music too….
CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH
As I filled those bird feeders,
Only the patient cooing of white wing dove
Waiting in the surrounding trees
Could barely be heard above the sprinkler.
CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH
Feeders filled, I walked away.
The air erupted with bird song.
Our giant privets were alive with hungry sparrows,
Each announcing breakfast.
All the locals seemed to understand.
The robins and larks, the finches and cardinals chimed in;
But only the jays’ sharp calls could be heard above the din.
What a ruckus…but so beautiful a song,
It is a ‘wall of sound’ to be envied by rockers.
Orchestrated by Mother Nature….Mrs. God.
The sprinkler's barely heard....
ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch
Squirrels wait out of sight.
One may bark now and then, but
They’ve learned that patience pays.
It’s not just time to feed those damn birds;
It’s time to feed the greedy squirrels too;
And chow time is well worth the wait:
Sunflower seeds. Peanuts. Suet. Dried fruit.
You can almost hear them as they gobble,
“Mmmmmm. Man, this is the good stuff, Bro’.
I mean the good stuff. What a life.
I’ll never leave…not even for a girl squirrel.”
It’s as if they think they’ll never eat again;
Every morning.
As if we hadn’t been feeding them
Every day of their lives…and their parents.
If we could tell them apart.
They would have names.
Well....everybody's happy.
All this and good coffee too.
What a beautiful Fall morning.
Copyright © Robert Candler | Year Posted 2014
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