melissaahowells

      Poet's Home             All Poetry       Sign Up!  Login
© 2000-2022 Individual Authors of the Poetry. All rights reserved by authors.   518187 Poems Read.

Search for Poetry

   


Read Poetry
The Petty Player Who Rarely Sleeps

I'd Like A Taste (The Wolf Said)

The Crow Is A Black Bird

When I Start to Bloom

I'd Like To Be Your Shirt (when you wake up in the morning)



All Beings Considered

Words Between Edward And Jane

Nothing's Sadder Than A Rose

The Great Tsunami Of Our Growing Grief written 3/2.2021--retitled 3/14/2021

After Wide Sargasso Sea ( For Those of You Readers Who Have Empathy For the First Mrs. Rochester.)

WAITING ON THE WORLD (March/February 2021 poetry)

Wild and Unraveling

What Must Be

These Hands Exist July 4 2023 rei-edited 7/12/2023

I Am The Color Of Black

The Tide of Your Lies (2019-2023)

How I Wanted Your Pearls 6/24/2023 WRITTEN DIRECTLY TO THE PAGE

Love Wants What Love Wants re-edited 5/31/023

Winter's Been Too Long.... 4/18/2023 (LONGING)

The Dreaming Life ( A Series Of Dream Vignettes)

Like A Small Street Dog Lured In By The Promise Of Meat

This Is What Mermaids Dream Of

At Night, As I Dream of Vampires Who Have No Bad Intentions

And You Will Be Called Ashes As You Leave ( from a dream)

Certainly No Bread 3/16/2022

Someone Send Out A Search Party

THE FAN , AT NIGHT, GIVES GOOD ADVICE completely re-edited, an entirely different poem

What Is The Price For Your Touch? re-editied 5/31/2023

Where Is My Bed With The Pleasing Tree -Lined View(NOW REEDITED)

Oh What Fine Physics (Before Me ,Lies) re-edtited @4/17/2023

If Prejudice Were Dumb And Could Not Speak

THE COMPANY THAT WE KEEP WITH THE ONE WITHIN

More Poetry >>

 
Features

  Sign Guestbook

Read Guestbook

 
   

In The Winter Park


trudging through man-made canyons
we slough our way through
the piled snow
onward to
the winter park

we've an urgent task
we're feeding the hungry
its slow going
in places the paths are unclear
we're blazing trails
like pioneers
onward to
the winter park

the sky, the ground
all one color of white abounds
torrents of white whisked by wind--
the brisk easterlies
the guests bustle in
impatient and jostling
we reach into our bags of plenty
the feasting shall commence
in the winter park

scattering
dried corn, sunnies, muesli
any unsweetened stale cereal
and bread
becomes filling feed
they gather en masse
here
in the winter park

crows, squirrels
geese, gulls
jays, sparrows
chickadees and mallard ducks
doddering pigeons
side-stepping high
they linger at the fringe
catch the pieces of food
on the fly
eating what's caught up
in the gusts of wind
we smile at all
those who seem snowed-in here
in the winter park

high in a frosted ancient elm
a shy cardinal watches and waits
on an outer limb
the albino squirrel chatters
lingers and hesitates
she's nearly invisible
in all the white
she'll wait until
most have moved to another
feeding site
then venture down
into winter park

the doddering pigeons catch the eye
of a golden retriever galloping by
her name is Happy
she bounds through the drifts
tongue lolling
open mouthed scooping through the drifts
she barks in excitement as
all the creatures temporarily scatter
skyward, tree-ward
and we laugh
at the commotion she makes
like it was a gift
they will all return
once she moves on with her old man Sam
in the winter park

the animals return
again we are surrounded
the bags are still full
the bounty is abounding
the animals have a sixth sense about this
to us its astounding
how they seem to know
or how maybe they read our minds
and are used to our kind
and our kindness
the heavy snows each year only
help to remind us
of the happy task ahead
of sharing with all
creatures hungry great and small
here
in the winter park.

LEGAL COPYRIGHT FOR THIS WORK
December 15 2017 10:20am PST TIME/DATE STAMPED
AND ALSO FOR THIS WRITER
MELISSA A HOWELLS AND ALSO FOR THIS
LEGALLY COPYRIGHTED SITE TITLE;
MELOO STRAIGHT FROM HER TILT-A-WORLD
WHICH IS EXACTLY WHERE THIS CAME FROM...
LORING PARK IN MINNEAPOLIS MINNESOTA
OUR VERY OWN 'WINTER PARK.'

written as remembered in 2001 and also
written directly to the page.
Thank you for reading and reminiscing.







Vote for this poem