Christine Hickey

Sounds of Autumn

The sough of the breeze in the trees.

The crunch of leaves underfoot.

The tap of acorns dropping.

The call of geese overhead.

The bluejays cry, snatching a peanut.

The chaos of crows counseling.

The splashing of water over rocks.

The song of raindrops on puddles.

The buzzing of the bees farewell.

The luffing of a sail.

The snap of a halyard.

The silence of a sunrise.

Water’s Edge

At the water’s edge
constant change
ebb and flow
ripples here, satin-smooth there
sparkle of dancing sunbeams
dulled to flatness by clouds

When the angle of the sun permits
reflective light sways across the walls
and ceiling, hanging sun catchers add color,
it all but dazzles the eye

Day dropped slowly into gloaming
silent at night but for the snap of halyards
morning comes and there she stands
shrouded in the mist, Mother Nature
in all her glory

Raw Beauty

Just there is a skeleton of a tree
stripped bare and gawking
anxious to escape, fearing
it doesn’t belong there
Surrounded by frilly green
to be so exposed feels raw
your boldness spoke to me
no hiding years decay
Gone from strength to fragility
life, too soon fades.

My Little Window on Waterfowl

So many males

So few females

Posing, posturing

Diving, dozing

Choosing, chasing

Paired and partnered off

Followed by knights in waiting

They speed up the chase, circling

Chests popping, heads bobbing, wings flapping

Performance repeated seasonally

Audience…….ignored.

Dream Walk

I am a poem
A flower that never fades

I wake and wander into the garden
To seek a scented poem

A crimson rose
At the still point of opening

Seen through a vapor
Of morning mist

In awe, prose denied
Not beautiful, but beauty itself

~~~

Christine Hickey is inspired by living on the edge of a creek that empties into the Chesapeake Bay. Christine is involved in Poetry and Creative Writing workshops. Her words have been published in the Bay Weekly and the Maryland Bards Poetry Review 2023. Her poems and art have been exhibited in Maryland galleries in the past year. This is Christine’s first feature with The Short of It.