Dark and Damp Morning

It is a morning that is still dark and damp
The air is so very cool for a Summer day.
In the darkness there is no birdsong
They've not yet awakened to brighten the day.
 In the distance there is the sound of traffic
Men and women already rushing from home.
Minds wrapped around all they must accomplish
But it is a morning that is dark and damp.
 The world is still quiet, nature still rests.
The grass clings to the drops of rainwater
That so freely fell during the short summer night
Soon the sun will burn away the excess.
But the grass drinks quickly and deeply in the dark.
 Lights are blinking on in distant windows
Coffee is surely brewing, children are being roused.
Loud yellow buses will command the roads.
Little ones will appear hump-backed in the distance
Shouldering backpacks and talking loudly
Hiding their nervousness on the second day of school.

But it is still a dark and damp morning.
Nature still sleeps, waiting for the sun to slowly climb
Inch by inch into the empty eastern sky.

Sounds of a Mountain Spring

Close your eyes for just a bit
Listen to the memory of bees buzzin'
Frogs harrumphin' in the distance
The sound of Junebugs zippin' round
The joyful sound of birds in the trees.
Off an' down the creek comes the sound
Of a sorry ol' hound dog
And the laughter of youngin's
Playin' in the creek.

The Birds Still Sing

The sky is muddy gray
With threats of a stormy day
But the birds still sing.
On the horizon looking east
The sun cannot break through
Yet in the trees birds still sing.
In the distance far west from here
Dark clouds wrestle and roil
Don't fret, just listen, the birds still sing.

Battle for Morning

Fuzzy mornin', cold mornin'
Don't want to wake mornin'
Worn ol' quilt up to my neck
It is a losin' battle though
Fought hard against a cheerful robin
And the smell of bacon cookin'.

Bird Song

The eastern sky is still dark
Yet birds have started singing
They seem to wait, to take a cue
And then begin to wake
Ruffled feathers, stretching wings
Then they hop to another branch
Beaks open and waiting for a nod
Morning steps in sight just then
Spring smiles gently and sighs
Dawn lifts her glory onto the stage
Then joyous, the birds begin!

Muggy Morning

The promise of dawn is already summer muggy
Trees rustle with an autumn dryness
Sinking their roots deeper into parched earth
The birds that will sing good morning are asleep still
Savoring the infrequent gusts of wind
The first hints of morning are almost unwelcome
It promises to be a hot, uncomfortable day
A farmer rises early, unable to sleep
Hitches up his overalls and steps outside
Scanning the horizons for any sign of rain
His hopes of a storm, for a cooling mist
Sink low with each blink of his eyes.
It is summer, hot, uncaring summer.

Winter Warble

The lonely warble of a bird,
Breaks the grip if the frigid cold
Sends a shock wave, sound wave
Bright and cheerful into the morning
Incongruous with a subzero dawn.

Melancholy Landscape

Goldfinches happily pickin' at thistle seed
Singin' carefree goldfinch melodies.
Doves dancin' an' bobbin' below
Heads up an' down, up an' down
Harmonizin' with an alto "coo-whoot".
Peaceful day, lovely day, hint of fall
Twitter, tweet, coo-whoot, coo-whoo.
Sudden jet, rocket, flash, shock, slam
Redtail hawk appears, flashes by
Angry brown blur cuts through grey and yellow
Like a malevolent artist slashing brush
Through a lovely pastoral scene.