Celery Farm to McFaul April 11, 2018

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Celery Farm April 10, 2018

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Franklin Lakes April 8, 2018

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watching the snow

This winter weather continues to linger too long

As yet another April snowstorm suffocates the spring

The tiny ice crystals frosting over the forsythia

Punishing the bursting red maple buds for their optimism.

The white pine trees show the burdens they have borne

Bent and broken by the several blizzards of March

And yet the robins are here and the cardinals are calling

Encouraging us to expect warmer days soon.

I saw a northern flicker sheltering from the wind gusts

Perched on the leeward side of a tree trunk

Finding frozen food in the insect aisle under the bark

An early arrival in the vanguard of the spring migration.

In a time of transition the signals are mixed

As the bare trees wait out the increasing inclination of the sun

Ready to flower and cast their pollen into the haze

Everything will change almost overnight.

Today as I view the snowflakes drifting down and sticking

Looking out from where I keep warm and dry

I can enjoy our ritual of providing supplemental sustenance

Setting out seeds and suet for our feathered friends.

The quiet hush of falling snow pleases me as I pause to listen

Watching the white layer accumulate on every horizontal surface

Knowing it will all melt away in a day or two I don’t mind

The chance to see a bit of winter one more time.