Scamper perches on the oak’s thin wrist,
tail curled like a question mark
he hasn’t quite asked yet.
Morning light spills over him,
and he blinks as if the sun
has just whispered something
he’s not sure he’s ready to hear.
He studies an acorn
as though it contains
the blueprint of being~
turns it, weighs it,
presses his nose to its quiet shell
and wonders, Why does anything grow at all?
He pauses mid-sprint
to consider the wind:
Why does the wind come?
Why does it leave?
Why does it never stay long enough
to explain itself?
Sometimes he stares at the sky
with a seriousness
that startles the blue~
as if he’s trying to decide
whether the clouds are wandering
or simply lost.
And when dusk gathers
its purple shawl,
he sits on the fence rail,
small paws folded,
asking the last question of the day~
the one even the trees
lean in to hear:
What does a life mean
when all its moments
are this brief
and this bright?
The sun shines brightly through my bedroom window
Nature reminder to rise and take my head off the pillow
The kitchen calls out a hearty breakfast I must make
It will give me energy for a hike around the lake
A gentle autumn breeze greets me as I begin my journey
The brightly colored leaves drift slowly to the ground as a group of squirrels starts to scurry
My body will thank me later for the exercise I am about to provide
Out of the bushes, a black bear appears with no place to hide
I hold my ground our eyes locked on each other
Two cubs suddenly appear to join their mother
Quickly they turn and scamper away
I will always remember this adrenaline-filled day
It is a mad scamper for food and grains,
These are often people with less brains,
Fill up their trolleys with things they don’t need,
store up their kitchens for generations to feed!
What is it now about this greed for toilet rolls?
Buying hundred at once for terminal goals!
The Virus starts from nose up to the lung,
It does nothing to influence human dung!
They don’t know a thing about hand sanitation,
They never washed their hands after ablution,
Now suddenly they want to be super clean,
But storing hundred hand sanitisers is obscene!
Gran of eighty five is hovering in the store,
Limited pension allows for now and no more,
Two fruits, some bread, milk is all she wants,
But stores are empty thanks to their haunts!
This is a crisis like never seen in many years,
That has brought suffering, death and tears,
This is a test to bring your values to the fore,
To reach out and help humanity even more!
COVID 19 contest
Date written 20/03/2020
dark as death that awaits us discreetly
eyes as bright as the full moon
Scamper, my cat is cute
03/23/19
Writing challenge 4, March 2019-Kimo
Sponsor: Dear Heart
As they scamper through the sunlit tree,
Bouncing on the branches without care.
Critter-chatter joins the birds mid-air.
Joys of nature fill their hearts with cheer.
Bouncing on the branches without care.
Squirrels run to eat grapes from the top.
Joys of nature fill their hearts with cheer.
The bounty in the canopy thrives.
Squirrels run to eat grapes from the top.
Critter-chatter joins the birds mid-air.
The bounty in the canopy thrives.
As they scamper through the sunlit tree.
© July 25, 2011
Dane Smith-Johnsen
Written for Poetry Soup Member Contest: Pantoum
Sponsored by: Paula Swanson
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.