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The garden's lone butterfly
lights on the leafless hardened fig,
searches for food, a mate.
Fireside smoke
ripples the night air,
warmth surrounds the family.
Insects, rats, feral cats
look for crawl space,
a winter habitat.
The homeless, the drunks
move out of the shadows, alleys
to soup kitchens, shelter.
Christmas shoppers swing in and out
of mall and strip-center doors,
drop coins in Salvation Army pots.
Mothers, sisters, aunts bake cookies,
box them up, send to soldiers
in faraway lands.
Season trimmings, motifs
are hung, plastered, placed
in their annual holiday spots.
Wrapped gifts adorn the tree
toys for tots, gift cards for teens;
gift receipts ready for returns.
A time to gather, to hug,
reflect on the year just past
and wait for signs of spring.
The squirrel secures the last fig,
the lone butterfly flies
through winter's door.
© by Erle Kelly.
Used with the author's permission.
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Erle Kelly lives in Long Beach, California. A graduate of the state university there, he entered the Navy Air Force after college and became a navigator. After his years in naval service, Erle enjoyed a career in sales and marketing management. After retiring, he tutored at a local elementary school for many years. Today, Erle is active in a poetry writing class and his work has appeared in various online publications. He greatly enjoys his community vegetable garden and cycling, but his greatest joy is when he and his wife spend time with their friends, their four grandchildren, and their three great-grandchildren.
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barbara eknoian:
Erle Kelly's poem takes us with him to his observations of nature, which he has a keen eye, and the people he observes like the homeless coming out of the shadows, to the love and hugs of family.
Posted 12/02/2016 11:22 AM
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JanetruthMartin:
perfect poem to begin Dec. Each stanza a painting!
Posted 12/01/2016 05:41 AM
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