Boom

 
 
 

BOOM! go the fireworks—
 
my neighbor’s calico cat
 
darts under the porch.

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

Cold

 
 
 

last day of autumn—
 
a stone beside the porch step
 
grows cold, then colder

Windfalls

 
 
 

last days of autumn—
 
windfalls from a week of storms
 
litter the orchard

Crèche

 
 
 

Just before Christmas
 
a cat curls up in the straw
 
of a curbside crèche.

Cat

 
 
 

Just before Christmas
 
my neighbor’s calico cat
 
takes her final nap.

Diffidence

 
 
 

Little brown sparrow,
 
you are famous in this town
 
for your diffidence.

Frenzy

 
 
 

Holiday frenzy—
 
a parcel-laden shopper
 
takes the wrong bus home.

Rain

 
 
 

Unexpected rain
 
washes the clothes on the line
 
for the second time.