Spring in the Time of Covid

Fresh warm breaths of spring

Rattling magnolia leaves

Exhilarating

~dkm 31/52

Winter Song

Throng of pine siskin

Army of red-winged blackbird

Here for the winter

All day every day

Fighting each other for seed

Not stopping for rain

Neither could be called

Lyrical songsters, more like

Dissonant janglers

Eating their way through

twenty pounds of seed per week,

two bags of dried worms

I wonder what our

year-round residents suppose,

or if they notice 

~dkm 30/52 

 

Mushroom Auricularia

Mister Wood Ear Man

Found in grass, moved to pavement

to see more clearly

Reading up, I learn

that auricularia 

sometimes called wood ear 

is often cooked in

Chinese hot and sour soup

I may have had it

Mister Wood Ear Man

Truly? Your head and guts are

delicious to eat?

~dkm 29/52

Hope

This morning I heard

the first spring mating call of

a single bluebird

He perched on the chair

Soon enough to the feeder

came the azure pair

~dkm 28/52

 

Redwinged Flight or Fight or Mating Display

When at rest, he hints

via yellow epaulet

at some deeper truth

 

Only with wings spread

Does the blackbird reveal his

shocking red secret

~dkm 27/52

Red Yellow Blue

Three birds come to feed

Card'nal, pine warbler, bluebird

Primary triad

~dkm 26/52

Sweet Carolina Wren

How did you get in

and how long have you been perched

at my kitchen sink?

Do not be afraid

O small intrepid brown wren 

Though I know you must

And tell you, I must

the only way to free you 

is to frighten you

away from the glass 

toward the wide open door

Please forgive the chase

I'm sorry we can't

explain civilization

or clear view windows

~dkm 25/52

This, For Instance

I was afraid of

exactly this when I switched

to weekly haiku

That I would forget

not to notice but to tell 

of the noticings

The act of seeing

things I'd never slowed enough 

to attend before

is now imprinted

in the overt actions of

my daily routine

But six days I skip

the elusive wish to put

pencil to paper

Though I grieve over

the losing of such white hot

writing intentions

it can be enough

to be graced with the moments

of fine noticings

This, for instance. This

jelly-like growth that looks like

a brown cabbage leaf

~dkm 24/52 

Oak Leaves as Sculptors

It froze overnight

After yesterday's cold rain

Ice on glass table

Leaves brushed from surface

Leave their own likeness behind

Natural ice sculptures

 ~dkm 23/52

 

 

Noon Light

 One thirty pm

 Winter in Georgia. Beauty

at its simple best

Being from Kansas

my dad always marveled at

our tall loblollies

~dkm 22/52