November 17 - November 21 Week 42 /72
colors are dimming
the bird feeder is dominated by
visitors dressed only in black
white and a full slate of grays
a female cardinal magically dissolves
into a background of tree trunks
except for the reddish-orange wedge
of her beak pointing towards
white turtlehead and swamp milkweed
plants who have loosened their grip
on hundreds of gifts for the spring
lips of the seedpods once plump and full
have dried and split open sending flat
Chelone discs tumbling into the marshy soil
while the seeds of Asclepias steal away
sailing on silky white filaments as
Mercury and Venus play in the sky
I think I love every single seventy-second! I saw that female cardinal's beak this weed. The swamp milkweed did not go with the grace yours did. It collapsed about a month or so ago. I may need to get new ones. The white turtlehead never bloomed. I'm not sure why. Have been reading a book by Margaret Roach (A Way to Garden). This is a revision of the original which she wrote 20 years ago. She's now 62. She is surprisingly good at reaching me. I emailed her and, the second time, told her not to worry. I am not a stalker :-) I've gotten a few really good pieces of advice. First, if a plant (or plants) isn't doing…