“One Reason for the Season”

A Pretty RedTail Hawk, NOT a Skylark….nor a Cooper’s Hawk.  janekohutbartels, wc, 2006

Dversepoets.com is taking a holiday and OLN (Open Link Night) is tonight where we are allowed to post one poem  of your choosing.  Come read for a year’s end selection of some great poems.

Lady Nyo

 —

I saw the Cooper’s hawk this morning. She landed on the chimney pot, probably looking for my miniature hen, Grayson.  Eight years ago she was a starving fledgling who mantled over while I fed her cold chicken.  She’s back this holiday, my spirits lifting. A good Christmas present.

In the middle of the commercialization of Christmas, Nature closes the gap.  I have noticed squirrels with pecans leaping the trees, hawks hunting low over now-bare woods, unknown song birds sitting on fences, heard the migration of Sandhill cranes as they honk in formation. You hear their cacophony well before they appear.  Their chiding cries float down to our upturned faces.

There is brightness to the holly, washed by our late autumn rains and the orange of the nandina berries has turned crimson. Smell of wood smoke in the air and the crispness of mornings means the earth is going to sleep. We humans should reclaim our past and join the slumber party of our brother bears.

Jingle Bells will fade and our tension with it. Looking towards deep winter when the Earth is again silent will restore our balance and calm nerves with a blanket of Peace.

 

Winter’s seasoning:

Bitter winds, branch of holly

Haunts in the attic.

 

Jane Kohut-Bartels

Copyrighted, 2017

“One Reason For The Season”, a haibun.

Sorry, dverse Bears!  I was sure that this Monday was Haibun Monday.  Please ignore but I’m not replacing this with a quadrille.  I’m still working on Haibun form which you guys introduced me to and I am dreaming haibuns all night long!

 

 I saw the Cooper’s hawk this morning. She landed on the chimney pot, probably looking for my miniature hen, Grayson. Four years ago she was a starving fledgling who mantled over while I fed her cold chicken. She’s back this holiday, my spirits lifting. A good Christmas present.

In the middle of the commercialization of Christmas, Nature closes the gap. I have noticed squirrels with pecans in mouths leaping the trees, hawks hunting low over now-bare woods, unknown song birds sitting on fences, heard the migration of Sandhill cranes as they honk in formation. You hear their cacophony well before they appear. Their chiding cries float down to our upturned faces.

There is brightness to the holly, washed by our late autumn rains and the orange of the nandina berries has turned crimson. Smell of wood smoke in the air and the crispness of mornings means the earth is going to sleep. We humans should reclaim our past and join the slumber party of our brother bears.

Jingle Bells will fade and our tension with it. Looking towards deep winter when the Earth is again silent will restore our balance and calm nerves with a blanket of Peace.

 

Winter’s seasoning

Bitter winds, branch of holly

Haunts in the attic.

 

 

 

Jane Kohut-Bartels

Copyrighted, 2016