thanks to the four
pound bag of special bird seed mix
a cardinal has graced our
winter yard with
his mate
several times this winter
stopping to clear the coast of cats
and hidden hawks
they make a pretty pair
those two red and brilliant
in the sunlight he stands
to guard his
quiet mate
quickened eyes
and crunching beak
he watches
to soothe the fear
of his close red friend
they come a lot
to sit on the snow near the kitchen window
sharing the winter with us
Fences Come and Go
once strung to hold
spring lambs
now, it lies
a simple roll
of sheep fencing
to be cooly stored
at one dark corner of the barn
fences come and go
stretched to the lower field
to fit rotation
first here
then the far field
and, to my ultimate delight
the field close to the road
and passersby stop to
catch a glimpse of this
spring's newborn lambs,
in lilac time
purples, white, and pink
and pink-tongued baby lambs
suckled rich with ewe's milk
provide a glorious spring
but fences mostly go now
soon the perimeter will remain alone
the lambs, the ewes, the singular ram
all gone
not hay,nor water,or the molasses-scented
salt lick remain
the fences came and went
the pasture turns to groomed lawn
the fences come and go
like long-lost friends
I thought of you again
my son
we fed the sheep one more time
and said goodnight
to our favorite laying hens
clucking as they perched on their roosts
checking one last time
for recent eggs
as I shut out the world
and think only of you
back on that dark November night
when we wandered Chestnut Acre Farm
while the world raged
beyond our tiny pasture
won't you please come back
and take our favorite egg basket
from my hand
and share with me one more trip
to the sleepy-filled barn
on what we once called
our Chestnut Acre Farm
The Snow Fort
i went to the abandoned
snow fort left
near the road by the
neighborhood kids
i dug myself a path
fit for
a king and
traveled through the passages to china
and the king"s best treasure
room
it was all so fascinating
there hidden in the snow
room after room
of military might
a storehouse of frozen snowballs
and secret compartments
etched in frozen snow
windows and sliding snow-covered doors
with kings and princes
politicians and occasional running
snow water
i was only four snow prints from the front door
and my mother called me for dinner
while I hid in the white castle
near the kingdom of the snow god