Gaping at Weather and Wildlife

Gaping at Weather and Wildlife

The damp breath of an October morn,
To a palate dulled by book-filled rooms.
Cool balm of an azure sky, a sun
That is ember-red, a mother clinging
To her stricken child, who knows only
How to give.

All acrid fumes of cars are washed away,
The first full flush of rotting verdure.
Resurrection of rootless vegetation,
Attis revived by fructifying rain.
Death, tinged with fire, hangs life-bright in the air;
The serene beauty of the sepulchre.
A sered leaf hanging on a barren branch,
Will fall and call again on Nature's care.

A coast full of gulls winging quietly South,
The strained and savage lips of eager dogs.
A horse, an island of grass for its mouth,
While moss clusters round some fallen logs.

Date mostly written: 1975