June crows

four crows in the June grass
watch me watching them
from my bright blanket,
while the fifth plucks sprigs
of blooms from the chestnut

an all-at-once wind teases
white petals into yellow light –
a sudden floral flotilla
and the fifth crow flies with one,
two, three sprouted sprigs

and I from my bright blanket
reaching into the world –
admiring the petals,
yet never wondering
who the bouquet is for

reconciliation

a dozen dark-eyed juncos,
full of bright yes-es,
skitter through a feast
of fallen cones

for days now I’ve carried
the polished comfort
of a horse chestnut
like a talisman

though no earthly charm
will reconcile the leaves
back onto November trees
when October finally yields

November chill
rusts the dogwood,
scatters the locust seeds
down the sodden street

the maple this year
shows an unusual
reluctance for red

but today gray was made
a near beautiful thing –
a frame for the darker
darts of the chickadees

in the yellow goodbye
of the chestnut tree