Nature seems to be having a problem deciding whether it is Winter or Spring. A few weeks ago we got two feet of snow in a day. A week later, we had two days in the 80s, immediately followed by more snow.
Personally, I love snow and cold weather, but I also love the greening trees of Spring and the flowers, shyly budding, then bursting into a plethora of colors. But, today the trees and flowers seem confused - tiny buds wrapped up tight hesitant to unfurl their beauty for fear of winding up encased in ice.
The wildlife is confused too. A chipper chipmunk popped out of his hibernation home fully expecting Spring to greet him, but instead was met with snowdrifts. After grabbing a few welcomed peanuts, he disappeared again only to reappear a few days later still looking for his friends and food.
Slowly, very slowly, it is happening. Inexorably Spring is winning. There are birds galore arriving now, many two by two, getting ready for the rebirth of their earth. Today’s poem is a bit about that.
SOFTNESS IN A HARD WORLD
They’re pairing off
the winged things
now that the chill
is fading from the air
now that the sun
dilutes the gloom
and snowflakes are rare.
The game has begun
as male mallards viciously
chase down their competition
to yank out opponent’s
tail feathers all the while
strutting prowess and
preening for a mate.
The females are abundant
and do not appear impressed
by these bullies’ antics.
Yet, it won’t be long before
the ducklings arrive
all fluff and wobble
struggling to keep up
on their daily trek with
mom a trailing string
of feathered beads
following beak to tail
following her lead
charming humans to
toss dried corn at their
cuteness and learning
to recognize the warning
calls of crows when eagles
circle and swoop crashing
to snatch helpless siblings
from their small world
because nature can be cruel.
Hi Arjan, The chipmunk is thriving, but oddly all alone. Usually, there are a dozen of them running around here by now. I’m thinking the unpredictable weather may play a part. I hope they show up. I miss the little critters. Thank you for your comment on my poem. You are correct that humanity can be harsh.
I hope the chipmunk is doing well.
Lovely poem, great way to illustrate the contrasting of soft and hard in our world. It's not just nature, but also our humanity that can be quite hard to our nature.