and during the rain
when everything
is washed
and my son runs
to his golf ball
and the wind is blowing
just enough for mild excitement
and boys to appreciate
being young
in wet jerseys
in the wet April
afternoon
when they are reminded
that golf is just a game
and boys in middle school,
just like girls,
want to have fun
and feel like they too
are part of something
bigger than their middle
years, of child to teenager
then teenager to young
adult trying to be
an adult
Why didn't I notice
the birds when I was
eleven?
Two Eastern Towhees
landed on the powerline
while I was running
earlier
and I stopped
to gawk at something
that would always be
more colorful,
and glorious than me
(a sweaty
excuse)
I hope Ben never stops
running and laughing
in the rain
I am almost forty
and I haven't
Around bushes, trees and pathways, race two lively squirrels
Scurrying speedily up and down playing games of tag together
Spreading its shaggy tail one would sit up tall by taking a halt
Prying off caps, happily chomps on healthy delicious acorns
With flashy chirps a lively Scrub-Jay pair takes off from an oak branch
Swoops down taking sharp turns performing an animated vocal dance
Flying from branch to branch spreading gorgeous blue and gray wingspan
Supports propagation by harvesting and hiding seeds and acorns
Migrated dark eyed Juncos enhance the beauty with their ground-hops
Taking leaps, flit low in underbrush to relish tasty leaves and grass
Lunging forward and hopping backward brown towhees tap dance
Pounce on foliage and berries by scratching their feet to feed on
Tosses of nutty, delightful acorns attract large turkey flocks
Roaming around scraping ground for food under leaf litter and lawns
Clucking and pecking they search and stroll the whole backyard
I watch the visitors with grateful heart filled with nature’s mystical calm
Life-giving blue lake filled almost to rim
Brings beauty and delight to ones full of dreams
Gives plentiful to migrated Canadian geese
Offers cozy homes to duck families
Meditating Cranes stand by banks
Male Gobblers dance charmingly ruffling their fans
Red-tailed Hawks, Kestrels and Eagles circle over high
Searching for tasty meal using exceptional eye
Clever Blue Jays show presence by daring loud quacks
Chirping Robins feed on insects in small cracks
Scurrying squirrels enjoy hidden nut feasts
Draw packs of howling coyotes
Grassy greens become playground for scampering rabbits
Nourish Black-tail Deer with scrumptious treats
Ornate blooming fields of wild lupines, larkspur and poppies
Heighten magnificence of surroundings
Bursting woodlands of Digger pines and varieties of Oaks
Provide blackbirds, quails, towhees and wrens continual homes
Filled with moderate hills and dirt trails
I’m in awe of the splendor of the landscape
Glorious sunsets heighten beauty of the lake
Displaying shades of yellow, orange and fiery red
Astonished by generous affluence from dear Mother Earth
I bow to her feeling gratified and loved
The gathered birds are making such a cacophonous sound.
It is their way of telling me they now are onward bound.
They are rounding up the young, reminding every single bird.
They are so loud I am quite sure that every bird has heard.
The blackbirds, starlings, swallows, are headed on their way.
It’s time to fill the feeders now for the little ones that stay.
The chickadees and juncos, the towhees and that bunch,
Will be pecking at my window and begging for their lunch.
For just a few small handouts, they will keep me entertained
And chase away my doldrums, when all I see is rain.
With unspoken agreement, they’ll provide the fun and song.
My part their food and water, the whole cold winter long.
received hm in this one
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