Amid the siren, car and cycle noise
I listen for the sounds of Nature’s Spring —
Of birds and breeze and playing girls and boys.
Instead I hear the angry voices ring
Of folks who take their family fights outside
And air disputes for all the block to hear.
As if to wait until the dins subside,
The gentler sounds all seem to disappear.
I spot a cardinal in the walnut tree.
His call, now strident over barking hounds,
Attempts to summon Spring again for me.
Soon robins, squirrels, join the red bird’s sounds
And weave a symphony of growl and song
That I can block — or learn to sing along.
Virginia Gilbert — April 2011
Micah6 