my garden in early autumn

my garden in early autumn

i.
the feather of a dove
dances in brisk autumn winds
a gift from above

ii.
fat quail forage
gleaning seeds from
desiccated cosmos

iii.
a dragonfly shimmers
in broken sunlight
pauses to drink

iv.
clunk, clunk, clunk
the half-empty hummingbird feeder
knocks against the house
misses its companions

v.
nests are empty
the birdhouse sways
in a naked tree branch
i remember a baby bird
with no feathers
dead in the grass below

vi.
today our ash tree
offers its first leaves
to the browning grass

vii.
the ornamental pear trees
wait seductively
tempting passing cedar wax wings

viii.
absent wrens and sparrows
blue jay scolds me instead
from a low-hanging branch

ix.
leaves on tomato plants droop
while exposed
green tomatoes blush

x.
competition in the rose garden
heats up
which will be the most memorable
last rose of summer

xi.
the neighbor’s apple tree
extends her branches
into our yard
offers her fruit
a worm waves to me from
the one I slice open

xii.
the rake leans against the hut
it’s waited all year
for someone to notice

xiii.
asparagus ferns
drape over the garden
like a pall

Photo: Victoria Slotto

A second offering for Bjorn’s cubist prompt at dVerse Poets’ MTB–I had a hard time deciding what to write about until I spent a little time in the yard this windy autumn morning. This is such a great prompt. I hope you will give it a try.