Winter BIRDS

Photo and free verse poem by Lin Floyd

Little dove sitting huddled on a bare branch,

feathers fluffed against the biting winter winds,

how do you survive season after season?

Watching out for hungry hawks searching

for a tasty tidbit, finding a mate then nesting 

nearby continues the wonder of new life.

Year after year, your routine doesn't vary,

patterns planted by nature over time

written in your DNA and instincts forever.

I too cling to old patterns and routines,

day after day seeking comfort and warmth

from winter's vicissitudes and daily trials.

.

I long for spring and new growth to return

as winter birds wait to sing their mating songs.

Summer will return with its promises.