Outside (poem)

A poem on all the fauna that inhabits and passes through our backyard :)

The fox saunters, nonchalantly;

a daub of red across lawn-green,  

White tail-tip flashing. 

He (she?) looks up at cerulean blue sky, 

where another flash of red flits past.

A red cardinal alights on a branch,

alongside his drab-hued mate.

The squirrel is an old friend, atleast she thought so, 

as she decided to move into my attic with her little ones.

I wasn’t really ready for this new phase in our relationship.

Scampering, scooting, rustling, 

they made themselves at home 

and invited their friends over. 

Soon the patio and yard were filled

with merrymaking chipmunks, 

fighting for first dibs on the bird feeder.

Amazon claimed it was squirrel proof; 

A spurious claim, for it crashed to the ground 

as the squirrels dangled from it.  

The blue jay waits patiently for his turn,

flitting from branch to branch 

and swooping down to peck dropped seeds.  

I watch a baby hare from my window, 

as it creeps towards the treeline. 

My heart is in my mouth, as I watch  

fearfully, for cruel predators.

It scampers off, seeing a groundhog 

who serenely sniffs the ground, black nose twitching. 

What does he smell, I wonder?

Grass roots and earth, detritus 

from last fall and winter. 

I wish the deer would chomp my weeds

as they move across the yard, all light and grace. 

Doe-eyes scan the house….

They are poised, ready to dart away 

with the faintest sound of my blinds.   

I meditate to the music of the songbirds, 

the rustle of the leaves, the lilt of the breeze. 

The chimes I have hung where the birdfeeder used to be,  

tinkle against the twit-twit of the cardinal. 

I stare up at the cumulus, willing myself 

to tuck these sensations into my being;  

insert these sounds and sights 

into the appropriate slots of the brain.

May they rest there forever, just not ephemeral 

like the fireflies that twinkle briefly

only in the summertime twilight.