April, Renascent

April, Renascent

The pale blue bowl of the sky
hangs brightly over this day
sun warming our faces
though the chill wind
whips through our fleeces
and that of out little dogs.

A sharp-shinned hawk
wheels in the sky
high above the canopy of the trees
returned once again
to summer hang-outs
where the picking is good.

We slip our way down
ice-stubborn trails
crows mobbing noisily above.
Already, bright green leaf
of strawberry, violets emerge
in the muck of the creek bank.

Rivulets of snowmelt
snake across the landscape;
the creek, spring-swollen
a welcome respite on their journey
a pair of Mallards
contentedly steaming its curves.

The piercing lunacy of a
Pileated woodpecker
vibrates the atmosphere of
emerging life, struggling out
of the still-frozen earth.
A stand of cedar leans crazily
angled toward the ground.

Nuts left for wildlife
gone, awaiting replenishment;
homage to the
winter survivors, the
nest-building squirrels
elusive chipmunks.

High above, wind
chuffs through the trees
fall's stubborn wisps
of pale leaf fluttering, still
gripping their hosts.

A frenzy of scents
for our little dogs....

c. 2009 Rita Rosenfeld