Autumn Sneaks In
The first northern flicker arrived mid-August
A full two months since any previous years sightings.
She pecks at the grass and dusty clay soil
in the backyard.
The hard earth, unforgiving.
But this is her livelihood and
She perseveres.
Summer storms rage off and on for days, sometimes for several hours, sometimes merely minutes.
Then the unmistakable heat and steam rises from the soggy earth
Dissipating into the fluffy clouds above
Waiting, then drifting to repeat the cycle
down the road
With names like Pond River and Reed Avenue.
Another happenstance of the late summer weather this torturous year of 2020—rain duped the day lilies.
Now sumptuous pale pink and fuchsia blossoms dot the landscape complimenting the shaggy Tamukeyama Japanese Maple and its one limb, already evolving into a brilliant raspberry red amongst a backdrop of fluffy, dense foliage, swooping down, down, down,
the ultimate hangout for tiny green tree frogs.
Autumn can sneak in anytime.
