Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Once Again



There is an accustomed spring tapestry
That has now renewed its threads
As it does each year
When the days are the perfect length
And the air is soft as baby's breath.

One patient starling
Sits on the branch of the oak
Crisp silhouette against the western sky
Close to the nest
He has faithfully been building
All afternoon in the high oak.
Thick bouquets of dried grass
And whatnot pinched in his bill
Disappear behind the trunk
Of the brown un-leaved tree
Into some hole or V.

The osprey, the two,
Both together in their majesty
Proud on the snags of the dead tree
Close to the edge of the river
Overlook their scraggy nest
On a platform above the water.
The setting sun catches
Their snowy breast
Making them seem proud
And more self-assured
Than they actually are.

The bluebirds are in
Their usual spring disarray
Flitting to a different bird house
Each day.
The males, dashing and arguing,
And determined to win
Even if blood is drawn,
And the females looking lovely
And coldly distant
In their pale patient colors.

The chickadees pick the smallest
Of the bird houses that remain
And scold me often
When I weed beneath them
In the late afternoon
As the sun turns the sky peach.

The cardinals sing
The strongest song of all
And perch in the stark leaf-starved trees
Like alien rosebuds
Fat from the winter feed.

All is ready for
The grand first act.


6 comments:

  1. smiles...spring has sprung here...it is 90 today....smoking hot..ha...love all the life you are surrounded by...and that you appreciate it so...smiles.

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  2. Nature at its best. You have sharpened up my bird gazing skills.

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  3. I like your very poetic description of what is coming next and how much we enjoy it.

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  4. Here it is the robin's song that announces spring from high on a tree top, singing most loudly as the sun rises and as the as the sun sets.
    Your poetry is lovely.

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  5. Love those ospreys :^)

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  6. This is such a lovely spring poem. You are so very talented.

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Glad to hear from you once again. I really like these visits. Come sit on this log and tell me what you are thinking.