Last day of January, and yet
spring is galloping
over the velvet hills,
leaving in her wake
a trail of new neon-green grasses
competing like teenagers
to see who is the tallest stalk.

Water rushes down a narrow ravine
to run into the creek bed.
Pale, pixie-faced calla lilies pretend
not to stare as I walk by.
Five sheep call to me
from up on a knoll.
I stop to chat, appreciate
their fleecy sweaters, practical
in the late afternoon chill.

A young boy peeks out
from behind the fence, curious
why I am conversing
with his sheep.
I enjoy talking to animals,
I tell him. He grins happily,
most likely thinking,
finally, an adult who gets it.


From Under the Same Sky (forthcoming January 2024 from Golden Dragonfly Press).
Used here with permission.