Ode to Wolf Hill Reservoir

photo by PSC / 2012

Ode to Wolf Hill Reservoir  

Your bench beckons, always welcoming; you are ever

promising new delights to discover; even dead winter,

blanketed by ice & snow, your gentle silence sustains

peacefulness of fir and pines, safeguarding infant spring.

Around April, tiny iris & yarrow shoots peek through oak leaf carpets,

forsythia abounds, Johnny jump-ups smile, pussy willow pops,

followed by an avalanche of violets, multitudes of Canada mayflowers,

plethora of periwinkles, lavish sprinklings of yellow trout lilies.

May and June bring butter and eggs, columbines, pink lady slippers,

wild geranium, anemones, mountain laurel blossoms, myriads of clover,

and few odd “volunteers” – tiger lilies, sweet peas and sweet Williams –

 garden escapees, immigrants, who come and bring along friends.

July proposes a profusion of cattails, jewel weed and water lilies,

glimpses of ghost plants, dragon flies posed on purple pickerel weed;

Summer proffers explosions of daisies, tickseed, black-eyed Susan,

extravagance of Queen Anne’s lace, all persisting into autumn.

October offers misty mornings; reflections of blue skies,

white clouds, autumn glory colors carpeting the trail;

fond farewells from the last of the daisies & asters, until finally,

all your fine vibrance bleeds back into gray November slate.

But then, somewhere along January thaw, enticed by dazzling sun,

I’ll be perched on your bench once again, rapt, absorbed by your

siren’s song, hum and ice crackle, snap of warming surface, beseeching

my patience; insisting Spring’s already conceived, only biding to be born.

 

Old Kris Kringle - 2012

photo by PSC / 2012

Old Kris Kringle’s working late

to get his records up-to-date

checking once and checking twice

Who’s been naughty?  Who’s been nice?

It’s been a very hectic year, with LOTS of work to do;

but, knowing human nature, well…

the same is likely true of you.

So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed,

and help is what you’re needing,

here’s a bit of sound advice;

(rest assured, it’s well worth heeding):

Let the laundry wait a day.  Take time with friends instead.

(It doesn’t really matter if the sink’s been scrubbed,

or you’ve changed the bed.)

The fact is friends don’t really care if your bathtub has a ring,

or your floors don’t shine, or your mirror’s smudged

or your rugs need vacuuming.

If there’s a list you’re keeping

of the things that MUST get done,

make sure that spending time with friends

is “Item Number One”.

(You think you have forever, but time slips away so fast.

You’ll never know, ‘til it’s too late,

which ‘farewell’ will be your last.)

So, drop in on us any time; we’ll open up our hearts and doors.

(Just, please, don’t look too closely

at our windows and our dusty floors!)

And don’t expect a sparkling home, or a royal, fancy fuss.

It’ll only be just Tim & me,

but you’ll get the best of us.

 Merry Christmas friends! 

Wishing you & yours all the best of health & happiness 
throughout the holidays and the coming year!