It’s so hot
the Jehovah’s witnesses
have given up

after 30 years
our house looks like
an unweeded garden

Sunday woods
Northern Cardinal overwhelms
the tennis volleys

Saturday woods
bird travelers
from Brazil

early April
blossoms brown
green tedium

old dog sleeps
through 40 waves
of thunder

Another sour Saturday
draped
in rain

first of March cacophony
one complaining rooster
two scolding crows

— — —

a few first dogwood blooms
stake out
their blossoming turf

— — —

the saucer magnolia
like our elderly dog
has rallied

the trees are dimming
as they should in December
dogwood still gleams

– – – – –

I forgive the rains
whatever made the trees gold
has brought me some peace

tomorrow
sidewalks full of backpacks
blue paper masks

– – – – –

school starts early
geese watch
head south

– – – – –

school’s open
defrost
chicken soup

Beltane
our front yard forest
returns

—–

Mozart on the church lawn
hawk
on the steeple

—–

Poppies
like tissue paper
celebration

Coming of October
summered houseplants hibernated
bird feeder refilled

Begonias gone sparse and leggy
leaves autumned

last bare morning legs
until
next April

monkey grass flowers
hold on
and trumpet vine blossoms

leaves do not fall gracefully
they shoot down.