A Backyard Lesson

 

Last week I was fed up. There was so much bad news; too much anger, sorrow, despair, and danger out there. My backyard is my sanctuary, so I took my coffee out there one morning and let the birds guide me.

My Neigh­­­­bor’s Cat

I’ve invited nature­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

into my backyard:

hydrangeas,

Japanese maple,

indigenous oak,

hostas,

blooms in pots,

and birdfeeders.

Towhee, dove and cardinal,

finch and sparrow,

chickadee

bluebird­­­­­­

woodpecker

and thrasher

all bring joyful sounds,

flight and color;

an enticing wildness

that I cannot quite touch

without it fleeing.

 

My neighbor’s cat

slinks into the yard

and the joyful dissipates.

All is quiet.

Uneasy quiet.

The cat hops up on the fence,

turns her head,

then departs.

 

Birds return with their joyful.

Quick to dodge danger,

just as quick to sing again.

Just as quick to sing again.

 

              ~ Charles Kinnaird

 

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