Thursday, December 29, 2011

Poem


How To Survive Winter


The clever thing about my long
vigil is systems redundancy, an
economic phrase on loan from
civil engineering. Most but not all
of my observations will be made
through artfully hung
windows framing fixed objects
cunningly arranged. Take
the two carved pumpkins placed
just so among bare lilacs
last November. Drinking coffee at dawn
at the kitchen table, leaning
only slightly to the left,
I mark their daily progress toward
soft shell abstraction.
With only a minor adjustment of perspective
an angle opens on a cold
shoulder of snow concealed
from the sun alongside the shed, winter
giving me the business.
The feeders, visible from any
number of windows, draw
the usual rag
tag flock, making observations
of their own, shocked
by the relentless decline
on view indoors. At some point I'll pull
on my boots and plant
myself on the patio. I'll stand
side by side
with the hemlock and we'll
watch the shadows
across the white lawn
take ever smaller
bites.

1 comment:

  1. relentless decline indoors? you don't mean me do you?

    ReplyDelete