Reclaiming the Garden

The view from the front door this
morning looking out at the garden was
of a tumult of small furry creatures
rushing here and there, leaping,
cavorting, chasing one another and
availing themselves of the nuts
and the seeds. This has been the
view throughout the winter months
with the bird feeders above them
the venue for the local avian
population and in early spring
returning migrants in ferociously
needy numbers. Now, mere hours
later confusion reigns. The squirrels
and the birds still find errant seeds
and nuts on the garden soil, but the
feeding platforms are absent, time
for them to fend for themselves
in the greening spaces of mid-May.
I did feel a pang of regret at their
confusion, all the more when a 
cardinal flew directly to where the
usual forage awaited and then alighted
instead on nearby trees. Pangs of
regret and guilt aside, it is time to
be reunited with my garden, its
vacancy but for germinated seeds
of various origin aside, along with a
plenitude of budding sunflowers to
be judiciously plucked, the space
reserved for emerging perennials
and colourful summer annuals.