the visit
upon waking,
the first day of this new year,
i opened my back door
to find visitors…
not just the usual gathering,
but an unorthodox menagerie…
visitors of the most extraordinary kind…
a boastful bluejay
flashing his brilliant wings…
a haughty mockingbird
exhibiting his boisterous nature…
a bashful carolina wren
darting back and forth
from bush to bush…
a host of chatty starlings
conversing amongst themselves
from higher in the trees
and my usual visitors…
the common house sparrows
hiding in the safety of the holly bushes…
a male cardinal, tweeting madly
from the utility line.,,
and a handful of doves,
camouflaged against the bare ground
beneath the empty feeder…
my visitors come anxiously…
awaiting their morning manna
of sunflower and millet seeds…
peanuts and thistle…
but the most striking visitors of the day
are the dozens of robins
devoid of their usual warm weather fare,
come to feast on the ripened red berries
of the foster hollies…
and here am i…
ever grateful for the visit
where in my own private aviary
without walls or doors
all are free to come and go at will…
knowing they can…
knowing there is safety,
but knowing there is freedom…
and here am i…
in awe of what nature has delivered
on this the first day of a new year…
knowing that not only is it they
who have come here to me,
but i in turn
who have also paid the visit
By Sylvia L. Mattingly, January 1, 2020… the year of perfect vision.
Photo by Pixabay
Crooked Creek by Sue Mattingly 
Magnificent!!! Love the way she finds beauty in the things we sometimes take for granted. Thanks for the pick-me-up!
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Love it…. still relevant!
Sent from my iPad
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Great poem — great scene! So that’s where our summer birds are staying. You lucky ducks. 🙂
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