Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
Stops for a Visit
He arrives in mid-April
at our home in Tennessee
with a red ascot tucked into
his crisp white shirt.
Stripes displayed on his wings
are well-deserved
after his long journey from the south.
His black eyes are barely visible
in his dark head,
but even his Jimmy Durante beak
does not distract from handsomeness.
We keep him well-supplied
with seeds and suet,
hope each morning
he will still be around
to brighten our day,
but we know
his journey is not over.
We awake one morning
and he is gone,
headed north
for cooler climes and a mate.
previously published in The Tennessee Magazine
Searching for Spring
With winter-weary eyes
sore from searching
for signs of spring
only to find limbs
waiting for leaves
soil waiting for seeds
pots waiting for plants
bushes waiting for nests,
I look behind the barn
and find some daffy daffodils
dancing in the wind
unable to contain their joy
bursting forth with gold
stolen from the sun
on the rare days it shined,
and I laugh with them
happy to be privy
to their conspiracy
to bring an end to winter.
previously published in The Avocet
Wishing
It was the winter of wishing.
We wished for snow
and when it came to pass
along with sleet and ice
and record breaking cold,
we wished that it would go.
We wished instead for spring,
ignored that when spring last came,
it brought flooding rains,
strong winds and cold spells
that killed tender buds.
We wished then for summer,
overlooked the heat, the bugs,
sunburns and thunderstorms
that made us wish for fall
with burnished leaves,
blue skies and cool days.
We forgot that fall brought
frosts that killed the flowers
and millions of leaves to rake
and we forgot that winter follows fall
and once again we would
be wishing for snow.
Melanie Harless began writing after retirement as a school librarian. She wrote a travel column for a few years and then began writing poetry which has been published in anthologies, online and print journals. She is on the board of the Tennessee Mountain Writers and leads excursions for the Oak Ridge Institute of Continued Learning.
Stops for a Visit
He arrives in mid-April
at our home in Tennessee
with a red ascot tucked into
his crisp white shirt.
Stripes displayed on his wings
are well-deserved
after his long journey from the south.
His black eyes are barely visible
in his dark head,
but even his Jimmy Durante beak
does not distract from handsomeness.
We keep him well-supplied
with seeds and suet,
hope each morning
he will still be around
to brighten our day,
but we know
his journey is not over.
We awake one morning
and he is gone,
headed north
for cooler climes and a mate.
previously published in The Tennessee Magazine
Searching for Spring
With winter-weary eyes
sore from searching
for signs of spring
only to find limbs
waiting for leaves
soil waiting for seeds
pots waiting for plants
bushes waiting for nests,
I look behind the barn
and find some daffy daffodils
dancing in the wind
unable to contain their joy
bursting forth with gold
stolen from the sun
on the rare days it shined,
and I laugh with them
happy to be privy
to their conspiracy
to bring an end to winter.
previously published in The Avocet
Wishing
It was the winter of wishing.
We wished for snow
and when it came to pass
along with sleet and ice
and record breaking cold,
we wished that it would go.
We wished instead for spring,
ignored that when spring last came,
it brought flooding rains,
strong winds and cold spells
that killed tender buds.
We wished then for summer,
overlooked the heat, the bugs,
sunburns and thunderstorms
that made us wish for fall
with burnished leaves,
blue skies and cool days.
We forgot that fall brought
frosts that killed the flowers
and millions of leaves to rake
and we forgot that winter follows fall
and once again we would
be wishing for snow.
Melanie Harless began writing after retirement as a school librarian. She wrote a travel column for a few years and then began writing poetry which has been published in anthologies, online and print journals. She is on the board of the Tennessee Mountain Writers and leads excursions for the Oak Ridge Institute of Continued Learning.
