Tidings

Tidings of great joy

peal out from a weathered bell—

a baby is born!

Suet

first day of winter—

a junco at the feeder

gorges on suet

last day of autumn—

a stone beside the porch step

grows cold, then colder

last days of autumn—

windfalls from a week of storms

litter the orchard

Just before Christmas

a cat curls up in the straw

of a curbside crèche.

Just before Christmas

my neighbor’s calico cat

takes her final nap.

Little brown sparrow,

you are famous in this town

for your diffidence.

Holiday frenzy—

a parcel-laden shopper

takes the wrong bus home.

Unexpected rain

washes the clothes on the line

for the second time.

First day of the month—

a red kite escapes and floats

above the housetops.