A Tribute to April

April, you have the whole world transfixed.
Watching expectantly for new life
to burst forth in amazing glory,
like planets colliding in heaven.
Celebrating, applauding, cheering!

Your soft brown eyes with long black lashes,
melted our hearts from the beginning.
Movements so graceful and exquisite.
Seemingly unaware we are there.
Voyeurs invading your little world.

So patiently waiting for those treats,
listening, watching, down the hallway
until someone comes along; and then,
like a fledgling, you open your mouth
for a taste of that crisp green lettuce.

Are you playing when you throw the hay
high in the air and down your backside?
Sometimes I see you by the window.
Do you wish to find freedom out there?
Have you ever run wild and carefree?

I have mixed emotions as I watch.
Your neighbor, Oliver, seems restless,
I think he yearns for a different life.
Is that how you feel too? I don't know.
Maybe you've forgotten what it's like.

Perhaps you've never had liberty.
Can you miss something that is unknown?
Would it be too much if you found it?
The answers are hidden within you.
We'll never know what lies in your mind.

Your newborn will be sheltered and safe,
no danger from predators at all,
nor fears of an attack, or stalking.
But will its spirit be compromised,
forever tamed by routine and fate?

April, you're simply magnificent.
May your future be a life of joy
and harm never encroach upon you.
Some day, when your life comes to an end,
I hope you run like the wind again!