Late spring snows have fallen on Northeastern Iowa where I live and teach. Now the snow competes with a much stronger sun. Bluebirds, red-winged blackbirds, and killdeer call, while silent turkey vultures circle overhead.
Spring Comes to the Valley
The sun rises
farther north — far
from the December hill
where coyotes yelp,
past the field
filled yesterday
with a wet and temporary snow
whose rivulets began
in sun-filled fields,
now in the half-light gather in
the earnest rush
of the creek.
In early dawn,
south of the house,
Sagittarius, the Archer,
has cornered an
unsuspecting owl
in the upper branches
of a spreading oak.
I’ve watched the stealthy hunt
from behind the woodpile
while the dogs track voles
hidden in the
surviving snow.
Spring comes to the valley.
© Steve Peterson
For more Poetry Friday poems, please visit the inimitable (and extremely energetic!) Mary Lee over at A Year of Reading.
Sounds like New Hampshire right now…beautiful imagery, Steve!
Yes. Sounds like your snow might be melting, too! I’m excited. The walk near the marshland this morning was filled with red-winged blackbirds.
Sweet. Those spring bird songs are the best.
Yes! They are coming back each day. I’m always amazed and grateful.
Spring is definitely closer than it was in last week’s poem!
Strange how much difference a week makes, especially this time of year. The drifts from last week’s snow have mostly melted and formed rivers in the uplands. So much movement. So much sound.
Wonderful, Steve–love your rivulets rushing to the creek and your unsuspecting owl caught in the oak’s upper branches. Our snowbanks are fast disappearing today in Michigan, and I am heading out to clean branches from the softening garden.
Thanks for bringing this touch of spring!
Isn’t it amazing to see what melts out of the snow each year? Good luck on that garden! For me, as a north-country guy at heart, the migration of the white-throated sparrows is something I look forward to each year. I’m thinking we are probably a mere 3 weeks from that event. 🙂