Seasons

Note: these are presently untitled. They form a group of poems that need to be edited for grammar, spelling and form. They are "seasons" starting with any season and proceeding through the year. Please comment by email and # of poetic sketch. In the future this item may be open for rating and review. Not yet.

1

lemonade stand
one cocoa can sits on the shelf
with the herring

one leaf clings
a girl with the rake looks at the clouds
waits

black ice mirrors the yearling
hesitant at the edge of pond

snow melts
leaf litter gleams
hot cocoa's back on the shelf

[227]

2

pumpkins in fields
cherry wood smokes in the firplace

pines along the walk
weep beneath weak sun
as low clouds past

yellow willow branches
wave at snow melt
first robin song

yellow squash blossoms
along the walk
robin chick in the pine

[228]

3

branches snap
the ice coat glistens
no school today

pole streamers
young girls weaving in and out

dust flies from cars that pass,
coats green apples

homecoming queen,
cars weave in and out the apple-fest parade

[229]

4

redbud blooms
southern breezes promise
sun and warmth

sweat lingers, drips
in sweet cool shade
it chills

geese visit
peck in the cornfields
move on

the redbud pods rattle
in the shade of a drift
a dried corncob.

[233]

5

wading across the Kaw
fish crows cry overhead
Friday.

Here's to you, rouge.
make-up on a dead fish
doesn't flatter.

checking the scalp
fingers groom and scrape
a new garden rake

leather squeaks
under the extra weight of autumn's feast.

[234]

6

fledglings
hidden among the pines
heated chirps

leaves scurry
pushed by the gales
pulled by a squirrel.

acorns litter
the snow dusted hollw
turkeys roost

nest eggs laid
young squirrels fly though old oak trees.

[235]

7

woolly catapillars
the old lady gathers persimmons

deep drifts
the vole burrows in hidden tunnels

grass burns in fields
the garden manure sweetens

moths by moonlight
the vole grasped by an owl
the fragrance of mint.

[236]

8

the river's frozen
geese search for open water
eagles roost and wait

late frost
the tomatoes blacken
bright blue dawn

heron's silhoette
the sun bakes the shadows

grey clouds welcome the geese
tomatoes rot in fields
shadows lengthen.

[237]

9

floods melt the frost
hard ice stiffens the back under tents

nighthawks flying
moonbeams light the rising midges

pears beyond reach
go get a ladder and a basket

tents stiff with rime
no birds at night
the peartree sleeps

[238]

10

pond scum spreads
the dragonfly alights on waterlilies.

fish inspect a leaf that's fallen
it floats on by.

the crack of icicles
the house toothed with fangs

pond bottom stirs
a fish guards its nest
house roofers bang

[239]

11

the squirrel hides its nut
a fragrance of pumpkin pie.

the sun gives no heat.
the marigolds lie dead
the wasps asleep

school break.
the sand crabs anticipate the rush.

an oak inches tall
visited by a wasp
the aroma of crab-bake.

[240]

12

empty nest
the hive keeps warm, snow covered

cold water splashes over stones
bugs hide in watercress

sailboats tacking
the grackles cackle in the blueberries.

bees gather, gather
leaves float in streams
blueberry leaves turn red.

[241]

13

portulaca seeds
pressed in sandy soil
a sparrow watches

past parched lawns
water runs down gutters
the fire hydrant's open.

one last rose
the honks of unseen geese

sparrow feathers, frozen in the gutter.
no rose but thorns.

[242]

14

mosquitoes buzz around my net
my sweat

dry hard as rock
leaf littered spot
frost in the morning

snow drifts through the flaps
melts in a can. fresh water.

alive with the dawn
green leaves hide the camp
exposed morels beckon.

[244]

15

the rains rain
sun hides behind the fog of Chirripó.

poinsettias festive, red
clear cool afternoons and white confetti

purple shimmers from the orchids in the trees.
dust covers them both

the rains come back at noon
impatiens in a rainbow
clear cool nights and mornings

[162.246]

16

dawn sneaks under the flaps
woolen blankets dampen, stiffen

5 am the birds won't shut up
it's time to start the coffee

naked, the breeze caresses each hair
the tent flaps gape

bundled, sunset glows
a goose honks overhead
hands grasp a mug.

[162.253]

17

[swallows dip and dive under the half moon]

Swallows dip and dive under the half-moon
waxing over the county courthouse.

The ducks move south during the night;
by daylight the fullness of moon glints on frost.

Icicles hang from the courthouse gutters;
moon wans hidden by twilight and silence.

The new moon crescent beckons swallows, "come back";
The courthouse rises, enclosed by green beacons.

[163.224]