We wake up to white flakes
on the windows, an absurdity of snow
on emerging leaves, grass-blades
vivid against the wet stuff still drifting down.
White-throated sparrows, knee-deep in it,
dip their striped heads to the ground.
Robins run on yellow feet, thrushes
with plumped-up feathers
peck for whatever they can find.
It's sure to melt tomorrow
but they've got to eat today.
We step out the door, fluffed up with sweaters
and jackets against the chill. Past the birds,
still busy. We're not looking for example or
allegory, just stumping off toward whatever's
just got to be done, snow or no snow.
3 comments:
I like "the absurdity of snow," the birds "knee-deep in it," "thrushes with plumped-up feathers." The ending falls a little flat for me compared to the beautiful descriptions of the birds. What if you ended on "got to eat today" or on "fluffed up with sweaters"? The connection between the humans' needs and the birds' would easy to infer.
I shouldn't have read the prior comments, now I feel redundant saying anything because they mimic hers. I have the same likes on this one, Joanne. And I too feel the ending isn't quite strong enough.
Very nice!
I love the birds knee-deep in the snow. I also feel that the ending needs something more. I like the idea of birds having no choice but to keep at it, but the fluffing of sweaters didn’t have the same feel to it.
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