Among The Lilies

In the birdbath among the lilies
a battle of wills
unfolds

the old drama
of patience and impatience

as a chickadee displaces a goldfinch

then a cardinal drops down
on the rim of the bowl

eyes the chickadee who
seems oblivious to his royal presence.

It dips and splashes
dips and splashes
dips…

only when satisfied
does it relinquish the bath
for a branch in the cherry tree.

The cardinal
like a flame, a ruby votive
blazes and flares

as it tosses watery diamonds
in the air.

I return to the quiet house
to old photographs of you
splashing

in a sudsy wading pool
beneath the lilacs.

I hesitate, pick up the telephone…
call to ask if you have time to spare

for lunch, for an afternoon
to talk, or not talk…

to simply toss some diamonds in the air.

Emily Spying

Do you see
the golden bee
communing with the lily?

Can you tell
I dreamed well…
rang the lily bell.

…and in the real garden
one earth, one sun…
nectar and theft and pardon.

NOTE: One of a series of poems dedicated to and about
Emily Dickinson (my Muse).