This bird
now featherless
its coat dropped carelessly
in a pile, under a leafless tree
on a patch of washed-out grey leaves
one could hope he forgot where he left them
if not, their velvety softness will be reused in a nest
for warmth, and comfort with instructions on hunting
This bird…
posted for:
http://jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com/2010/03/17/thursday-poets-rally-week-10-march-18-march-24-2010/
This happened two nights ago…
It was only eight o’clock at night. I needed to bring Uriah inside. He was still outside in his kennel.
A couple hours earlier I tried to coax Uriah in the house. But he wanted to sit outside. With the sun setting, coyotes would be coming closer to the house, so I locked him inside his kennel.
It was time to bring him inside. I flicked on the outside light and without waiting for the light to come on I stepped out the garage door. I was met by a wall of darkness. I looked down at my hands and could barely see them. A heavy fog had settled in close to the ground, which caused a curtain of blackness to fall over everything. Silence assaulted my senses. For a second I contemplated going back into he house until the lights came on. I shook off the uneasy feeling and clutched my ski pole.
I walked forward, then turned to the right and headed around the back of the house towards the dog kennel. I hesitated again! The silence was over powering! I called to Uriah. He didn’t answer. I looked up at the light; it was taking its time turning on. Maybe the dampness or the cold air was the reason. Or maybe I was being paranoid! It takes time for that light to heat up. I couldn’t hear anything moving around out there in the dark. But something felt wrong.
I laughed off a trickle of fear and called to Uriah. He didn’t make a sound. Something else did in that heavy darkness! An odd, growl and movement, then the sound of a branch breaking came from the direction of the apple trees.
I stopped and peered into the foggy blackness. Silence! A deep heavy silence!
I told myself, if there was something out there I should be able to hear it again and there wasn’t a sound anywhere around me.
“Hey Uriah! I really think I should have waited for the light to come on.” He didn’t answer me. I knew he was alright, I was talking to him through the window earlier; as it got colder I closed the window and watched him as he stared out into the yard.
I shuffled to the kennel door, opened it. Uriah stood there watching me but didn’t make a move to leave.
I stood at the open door and waved at him to leave. “Come on! You have to come inside!”
Uriah turned away from me and stared out into the yard towards the apple trees. He was pacing in place.
I turned and looked out over the wall of blackness. A chill ran up my spine and I fought the urge to step into the kennel with Uriah and close the door. Not a smart move! I would be locked outside, not inside the house.
Then I just made a bad mistake! I allowed fear to creep around me…
Animals can smell fear. Uriah came up to me and leaned against my leg. Great! He was nervous too…
“Ok, here’s the plan. We walk out of here. You pee! We get into the house fast! Just pretend we don’t think anyone is watching us.”
Brave Uriah whimpered and looked out towards the apple trees, again..
I muttered. “That’s not helping!”
I coaxed Uriah out of the kennel. He stayed as close to me as he could get -behind me and under my coat. I didn’t like this situation…
Then I got mad…
“Alright! Whoever is out there, get the hell out of my yard!” Uriah perked up immediately and walked in front of me and wagged his tail.
Then I heard a clinking sound, similar to tags on a dog collar. I thought I was imagining that sound. But Uriah’s head turned to the sound as fast as I had. It came from the apple trees…
I yelled out into the darkness and stepped forward. “Uriah are you going to pee now?” Then I turned towards the driveway and started to walk.
Uriah followed. I stopped, he urinated and we slowly waked back to the garage.
I kept thinking. “I am not afraid!” Still, I could feel that tickle of fear creep up again. Fear is one scent I really didn’t want to send that out into the yard. Once an animal catches a whiff of fear, he will attack. I was so glad there wasn’t a wind and we were nearly in the house. And I wasn’t sure what type of animal was out there watching..
Uriah pushed past me and was inside before I had the door fully open.
This morning was gorgeous, humid, but a beautiful day. Every bird bellowed out a tune. The rains had stopped for now and I could see clouds moving in from the west, not the heavy menacing dark clouds, just a soft grey over cast type, the ones that will defuse the bright sunshine and hold in warm air.
I walked over to the path, hoping to be able to take a longer walk. I had my camera out I took some pictures of moss, melting snow and water. I was able to get a lot of pictures of water. The path was overflowing. I could see the line of water running through the neighboring fields.
I headed back to the house.
All three of my male cats were sitting by the kitchen door. The screen was keeping them inside, as they sat and stared out at me in my bright orange coat.
I have small red garden shed that had seen better days. The roof is leaking and with the past few years of flood waters pouring though it, the walls are rotting. I moved the square paver stone that held the door closed and I pulled the door open. A rush of rodent odor over powered me, and I stepped back and took a deep breath, then went in looking for a rake. I untangled the old red rake from the garden hose and quickly shut the door and pushed the rock back into place.
Uriah followed me as I scraped around the flower beds that bordered the front of the house. Three sections set in-between each five foot evergreen bush.
I had cleared a lot of the leaves out in fall, so I only had a sprinkling of dried leaves from the Tiger Lily’s and Catnip. As I cut away last years died leaves from the Lily of the Valley, I was surprised it hadn’t disengrated into the soil.
Uriah always helpful laid in the flower bed right on what I was clearing off. He wanted a biscuit from my pocket. I know! I was training him to be in the way, because every time I told him to move I would toss his milk bone over my shoulder. I quickly ran out of treats, at that point he fell asleep and I worked around him.
From between the soil and rocks tiny black spiders poured out over my hands, as a large black ant raced away from me. I was near the old bird bath, the top section sits right on the ground, I have to remember to bring out a pan of warm water and rinse it out. Right now it has dark water from the leaves that sat in it all winter. A black toad, the size of my hand slowly pulled himself out of my pile of grass and leaves, and lumbered back into the garden to the bird bath…
The rain poured down this morning, an attempt by Mother Nature to clean off the winters sludge from the roads, buildings and ground. Most of the snow surrounding the house melted off this morning. Before this winter will be official over it will take a few heavy rains, then some sunny days to bake everything clean.
I walked over to the Bog Willows and peered inside their tangled branches, I saw where the snow was hiding. Every bit of ground in the shadows was snow covered. White and icy, refusing to let go of winters bite.
Uriah was very disappointed when I refused to walk in the cold water, which covered the low end of the path. He carefully inched along the un-melted ice and drank from the water.
The skies above us were heavy with moisture. The clouds were a deep soft grey, they moved quickly overhead. I looked up at the motionless tree tops. All the wind was high up in the clouds, the winds pushed them into rolling mountains that swiftly changed shape every second.
With our walking path blocked I turned my attention to the vegetable garden. This past October I had covered it with a tarp and wooden fencing, and an occasional pizza box. I had stuffed a large plastic garbage bag full of autumn leaves and set it in the garden. My intention was to dig those leaves into the newly turned soil and pile them around tomato plants. Right now that bag sat, bloated, in the middle of the garden waiting for me, and spring.
I walked around the covered area. Stopped and called for Uriah.
Uriah came over and sat next to me and stared at the garbage bag like I had commanded him to, and then looked up at me waiting for a biscuit.
I pointed to one of the tarps. “You think we can uncover one part and set up a cold frame?”
Uriah actually looked as though he were thinking. He stood up and stepped into a section that was not covered and slowly tried to dig in the dirt. Then he looked up at me with mud stuck to his paws.
“Okay! I get it too mushy to play in, maybe next week!”
Uriah looked at me, sighed, then walked over to a hole and stuck his nose in it, and then he stood back and sneezed.
“Right! That last rat has to go!” I backed away. I am not crazy about rodents! “You get right on that!” I raised my eyebrows and kept inching backwards.
Uriah isn’t fond of rats! This rat has taken his biscuits, food and chew toys over the past few months. Whenever I mention that fact, I am told rats bite, hard! Uriah gave me a look and went into the kennel and slipped into his dog igloo and left me standing there, alone.
I looked up into the sky, I could hear the high pitch scream of the Red Tail Hawk.
“Hey, Uriah maybe the hawk will get that last rat for us!”
I turned my attention to the birds. I could hear Blue Jays screaming. The Black birds were congregating in the tree tops and a Robin chattered angrily at me from a Mulberry tree. Cardinals flitted in and out the branches of the leafless Crab Apple trees. Somewhere on top of the barn, Doves cooed in a rolling Scottish accent:-)
I pulled my camera out, fully intent on capturing a picture of that Robin. I haven’t seen one since December. I started snapping pictures of the clouds and the lack of snow.
Uriah decided he was bored and followed me to find that Robin. Except every time I pointed the camera he decided to bark at the birds. I gave him a biscuit, or three. He was trying to protect me from the, big mean Robins. How dare they chatter at me…
Blueberry Jelly
By
Gerardine Baugh©9/2008
Blueberry jelly
Splattered across the table,
Ingrained in the rug
Flowing patterns spattered on the wall
Sitting in the corner, I watch
The spray, of bluish purple
Fly across the room
Slightly worse than spaghetti sauce
In the way it stains
In a way it is artistic
Blueberry jelly, relished
As an adornment,
A tasty goop of sweetness
Slathered on bread, toasted and buttered
None other than a child’s
face covered in blue
Hands sticky sweet, pulling at tuffs of hair
Stupefaction in the moment
Take not my blueberry jelly
and wash it down the drain
Let’s play sticky games on the walls
The rugs
The doors
The dog
for he will join in and clean
with tickling delight
That giggling face, hands and feet
Both will sit without quandary
reveling in the delight of
Blueberry jelly…
I had written this for my writers group in September 2008 Now I am posting it again for Jingles Thursday Poets’ Rally Complete with the original picture used at the writers’ site.http://jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/thursday-poets-rally-week-9-march-11-17-2010/
This morning I stepped outside to sunshine and heavy humid air. Along the western horizon I could see dark clouds moving slowly east. Black birds were pushing aside wet leaves in an attempt to find worms that had felt the warmth and slithered to the surface. I wondered how many they actually found. Or was my guess of worms wrong and they were eating seeds, or larva. The ground was still a solid block of ice, later on I will have to crawl around and check out the area myself…
I shuffled over the leaves and the black birds scattered as I passed by.
The low area of the path had gotten muddier over night. Even now, the ice and snow melted under the glare of warm sunshine. The thick broken ice became more of an obstacle course than an uncomplicated walk. At least the ice held the sharp sticks as I slipped over them. The mud, black and slippery, allowed the one to two inches of broken and cut sticks and grass, the opportunity to puncture my boots.
Walking through this area took more time than it had yesterday. Uriah became impatient and ran on ahead. He had disappeared into the trees by the time I started walking up the slight incline. I moved south, then east, straight into the un-melted snow.
The distinct smell of skunk wafted around the trees, I glanced around and didn’t see him. I decided, that it was a smart idea to leave, while I could still taste and smell.
The birds were very vocal again today. Their songs intermingled into a sweet sound of spring. I stood next to a knocked down fence post and closed my eyes and listened.
A train was heading through the town; the wind blew straight at me from the south, bringing every clack-clack and heavy thudding sound clear as a bell into my universe. I turned on my camera and started the video; I was only able to capture a sixteen second piece of geese flying over head, before the camera flashed low battery and shut off.
Ooops! I forgot to recharge the battery last night. I slipped the camera back into its case and started walking home.
A breeze kicked up around me, low to the ground. I smiled, and looked up at the tree tops, enjoying the warmer air. Then I started to sneeze, and sneeze and sneeze and sneeze. I’m allergic to mold! When we have a heavy rain that hangs around for a few days or like today, slow melting snow… That’s when mold appears and I start sneezing, eyes watering and I sound very congested.
I stopped my trek to admire some bright green moss I had found yesterday under a tree. (I had taken a picture.) That tree had mold growing along its trunk… Oh well!
By the time I reached the house the sun had disappeared behind heavy dark grey clouds.
If it was possible it felt like the air had doubled in humidity. At least I stopped sneezing…
A fog rolled in over night and hung on through the morning, the sky a grayish white that shifted downwards and covered everything. As I walked around the back path, I stopped and listen to the birds. They were heralding in spring.
Rains had started yesterday so the ground had a mushy soft coating like frosting on a cake and ice hard underneath.
I side stepped muskrat holes, coyote and raccoon scat.
This is a muskrat hole I have been avoiding all winter, still the snow hangs on around it…
As I headed back home I hesitated along the northern section and tried to pull out movement in the underbrush. Two days ago, when I walked this same area I stepped into a cloud of skunk perfume. I gagged and blinked, Uriah who had been right behind me, slowly backed up and grimaced, then took off on a run, back towards the house.
Chicken!
I really wish I could move that fast.
Luckily the spray didn’t hit me directly so I was able to smell and taste within the hour.
Michael kept coming up to me all night and sniffing, then asking if I smell a skunk….
Today I didn’t see or smell a skunk. But the birds were in full song, especially the Black birds! The cardinals live in the trees near the house. The past few days the geese have been flying low, honking and filling the sky with their V shaped formations. I pulled out my camera and started video taping the birds. I edited them, and added a short poem.
A cold March night
changes clothes
from mornings
black
to daylights
blue
to sunsets
red
Back to black
A blood red sky shifts
into darkness as I stand
outside at sunset
Fantasy in light
reflecting the horizon
red fire and blue ice
I wrote this for, Jingle’s Poetry Thursdays. I missed last weeks and did not want to miss this weeks.
http://jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com/2010/03/02/thursday-poets-rally-poets-homecoming-week/
I used the picture I took tonight at sunset. I loved how this one turned out, even as my hand shook slightly. Of course, Uriah has to be in on the sunset pictures.
Do you see a poem inside this picture? Or maybe there is one right outside your door.
Have a great day!!
Yesterday, the temperatures rose high enough that the snow became heavy and started to thaw, just enough to become slippery and wet.
Twenty-four hours later, today. The snow was solid and slick with chucks of sharp ice.
The snow was so hard Uriah’s paws slid as he walked across the top without breaking through. Instead he slipped and fell. He was not amused! I tromped over to him, allowing my weight to break the top layer of snow. I moved slowly to where Uriah sat. He looked irritated at the smooth, white snow stretching out in front of him.
Stabbing my ski poles into the snow on either side of Uriah, I tried to slide him off the top of the snow bank, onto the area I packed down. When he was back on his feet/paws, Uriah glanced back at the tree he had been heading for, for a second he hesitated, sighed and made an odd grumbling, growling sound.
If Uriah had fingers I bet he would have flipped the bird at that snow bank.
Uriah made a half hearted attempt to walk behind me, then he decided to walk next to me, on that snow covered frozen path.
As we walked the sky cleared and a deep, purplish blue sat on the horizon to the east. I stopped and looked straight up. The sky was slightly hazy grey. Some low clouds moved above me, giving me a closed in feeling.
The air held an odor of pond water, fishy and green smelling. As I headed along the path a sweet, bitter smell of smoke curled around me until I reached the far back. At that point, the path turns to the north and rounds out and heads back west, towards the house. Just then, the wind picked up blowing in from the north-east, and pushed away the burning campfire smell. The air changed, I could smell cows, manure and hay.
As far as I could see, the snow covered the fields. A pattern of colors and lines weaved in and out. I looked towards the farmer’s barn; I could see cows walking slowly and dark earth pushing up between snow drifts. Grey ice covered the lower areas, frosted and untouched by the slightly warmer air.
Uriah and I reached some heavy bushes; we walked underneath them instead of around. A tiny, black headed bird, complained at our intrusion. Uriah nudged my pocket I stopped and broke a milk bone in half and handed it to him. He was happily crunching away when a stick snapped next to us, we both turned to the right.
Not more than a foot away from us was that Pheasant! His neck was stretched up high. Light grey with a dark blackish blue ring around his neck. He looked startled and scared, and he slowly backed away from us, then turned and flew into the taller trees. He missed the first branch and then started running towards the Bog Willows. He ran into a tree trunk flapping and scooting around until he disappeared into the trees.
Picture a very stupid cartoon bird!
All this took no more than a couple of minutes, both Uriah and I watched him with our mouths open, Uriah forgot his biscuit. I forgot my camera…
Insert, heavy sigh, rolling eyes, slap on forehead and Homer Simpson’s “D’oh!”
Uriah looked at me. I shrugged and he made a half hearted move to chase the bird. He took a couple of steps, then changed his mind and continued eating his biscuit.
Winter around here won’t end until April, if we are lucky.
