AFTER THE RAIN
Stream flows, not quite out of its banks.
Titmouse calls, an echo.
Birch leaf, white flag of winter’s surrender,
flutters to ground.
Spider floats silk between trees.
Rain drops jewel redbud.
Squirrel breakfasts on seeds,
starts a nest. Cuts and balances a twig,
maneuvers it to the crotch of sycamore.
Takes a break, inspects a hole in dead snag,
leaps to maple only to disappear.
Wind tears through greening tulip poplar,
rips tender leaf from branch.
Worm dries in sun, rain-driven
from soil. Ferns unravel by rotting log.
May apples umbrella forest floor.
