Early morning shivers
Steadied by steaming tea
Sweetening my tongue
Warming me
The Towhee is calling
telling me to drink my tea
I tell him I have
Stop pestering me
The morning sky is crisp
Pine needles are dancing
Birds are all singing
Squirrels are all prancing
Light through the leaves
Painting them green
Early morning beauty
Enchants me
Categories:
towhee, environment, morning,
Form: Quatrain
For the first time ever,
a Cardinal's nest lay cleverly hidden
in a juncture of two branches
of the red rose climber
on the south wall of our garage.
Over the years, we'd watched with pleasure
as House Finches, Eastern Phoebe,
Bluebirds, and Wrens nested in flowerpots,
birdhouses, spruce trees, and on porch walls.
Purple Martins snootily passed us by
in spite of elaborate housing provided.
Once, a Rufous-sided Towhee deposited
her eggs on the ground, underneath
a large cedar tree near the driveway.
We mowed around them, shooed turtles
toward distant woods, and watched
eggs hatch, babies fly into the future.
Cardinal babes were a new and welcome
experience. Almost daily, we peeked.
But grief came quickly with eagle eye,
hooked talon, and razor-edged beak.
A Cooper's Hawk left a shattered nest,
a mother's heart ripped apart, and us,
feeling her pain to the marrow of our bones.
Categories:
towhee, baby, bird, death, grief,
Form: Free verse
Long, weather-vane tail—
Brown Towhee, a Plain Jane bird,
Homebody—home here
Categories:
towhee, beauty, bird, creation, feelings,
Form: Haiku
An eagle sits in the cedar,
Another is soaring nearby.
If he hadn't called I'd have missed them.
I just wouldn't look that high.
A rufous towhee is searching
For seed that's been spilled on the ground.
A refilled feeder awaits him,
If he'd take a good look around.
How often we miss God's treasures
Just because we don't raise our eyes.
By keeping our narrow focus
We blunder and miss the prize.
We go through our lives with blinders,
Not seeing the glorious view,
Nor appreciating His wonders,
While our selfish ways we pursue.
A rainbow after the rainstorm,
Is worth living through rainy days.
Just lift your eyes from the puddles.
His benevolence will truly amaze.
By: Joyce Johnson 2001
Categories:
towhee, thank you,
Form: Rhyme