Photo by Michael Hoyt on Unsplash

 

On a morning, as I prepared
for driving chores all day,
I saw movement near the bushes
and there a pheasant moved
slantwise across the yard.
He’s bright in plumage, his head forward,
eyes questing.
I saw another, and a third,
move from cover toward
the first, each exploring earth
to the left and the right.

They moved beneath boxelder,
soon joined by yet another.
My attention was diverted a moment.
As I returned my gaze to their scene
they noticed movement, undulated
in line toward cover.
I watched the line of glowing green
ringed with white, hesitant and watchful,
melt among tall grass and small bush.
Yet one more pheasant appeared
to join the little cluster. Moments later
I watched five pheasants disappear,
The driving chores ahead took a
pleasurable turn.

II

Snow fell all day
World turns ethereal.
Box Elder, Hazel, Honeysuckle
branches piled with snowflake-blossom.
Five pheasants still enthrall my mind.
I hope they safely hide among the brush.

III

of snow
over the wide black river,
so still the water mirrors naked trees.
swathes of snow, voluptuous in scalloped
edges, look as though they could slide
whole into the depth. I think
of creatures asleep below the water’s surface,
and on land beneath the blanket of snow
and leaf mold cradled.
What small signal may reach them
to say of sun’s returning glow.
Pheasants rejoice.

IV

Today, hands busy in dishwater,
I watched two squirrels play,
chase around a main fork
of honey locust. Tails atwich
they hesitate nose to nose,
reverse direction, go round again.
I want to join this celebration,
but have no one to play with.
A swirling of dishwater bubbles will do.

V

Blue sky spreading from west and south
throughout the morning. Sun in clear
sky by noon. As I walk for the mail
the spread of sun is metaphor, return
of light to Northern regions. Now I
feel what the pheasants felt weeks ago.
and now these days have brought
Solstice, ancient of all worship.
The happiness of being reaches deep,
knowledge recognized so dimly
that to dwell on its meaning
puzzles me to frustration.
I take instead a week of presence
of sunshine, pheasant and snow.