Breakfast with Squirrels
I take my coffee out back to drink in the cool
before another sun-seared day. Hummingbirds
keep me company, hovering between penstemon
and hyssop, buzzing my yellow cup before drinking
long at the honeysuckle. Dragonflies duel above
the pond, vying to rule this spring-fed kingdom.
Oh yes, the squirrels . . .
who peer at me from fence posts, sharp black eyes
and chatter, asking for breakfast. I toss some peanuts
into the flowers, and they are down in seconds, quarreling
over the best spots under draping plume grass or near
the daisies and lupine. They look like they’re saying grace
in a tiny sanctuary, perched on their haunches, tails
curled like a monk’s cowl, peanuts held in their paws
as a supplication to this summer morning.
Change of Seasons
Summer turns sullen in August,
stubborn with laggard heat,
even as the maples start to blush
and geese grow restless, taking great,
noisy practice turns from pond to field.
Castanets of crickets fill the night,
and fireflies blink farewell. I gather
the zealous bounty of zucchini
and tomatoes, find caterpillars
living large on my prized basil.
Come evening, after the stagnant
midday, I feel the first cool breeze
of autumn. I breathe it in like a traveller
at the gate, asking for a drink from the well.
End of Autumn
The small purple asters,
still blooming,
bow their heads to late October winds.
I sit against the old oak. Its leather leaves
crackle, gossiping about the coming snow.
Passersby are zipping jackets, pulling hoodies
tight to cover ears. Though robins have headed
south, nuthatches and chickadees linger at the feeder,
even when yearling squirrels shimmy up to fill
their cheeks and race off toward the pine. Shadows
are long by four. I’m glad for stew simmering
in the crockpot and logs stacked for a fire this evening.
I rise and find a new ache in my bones. The walk home
feels lonely. My younger days have faded like summer
warmth, and the ancient north wind beckons.
Sarah Russell’s poetry and fiction have been published in Rattle, Misfit Magazine, Third Wednesday, Poetry Breakfast, and many other journals and anthologies. She is a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee. She has two poetry collections published by Kelsay Books, I lost summer somewhere and Today and Other Seasons. Her novella The Ballerina Swan Lake Mobile Homes Country Club Motel was published by Running Wild Press. She blogs at
https://SarahRussellPoetry.net
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