shelter in place - Theresa Roach Melia

[Larry Robinson]

shelter in place 

while we shelter in place 
look in quiet      at the wild green grasses 
see the red there     a hinge at the sides of each leaf 
red purple 
at the end of the awns of each forming seed 
purple red 
and so many fine white hairs   held in the cup of each leaf 
all    colors of green grass 

curl up by a tree   rest your head on a sweater 
hear the crickets     frogs     birds 
ducks fly by     and honk  
the breeze  gently rustles     the old man’s beard lichen
hanging from trees  

as we shelter in place   busy ants    run along a fallen branch  
a spring peeper sends his hopeful  “creeeeeh “ out into the air 
dreaming of puddles   where froggy eggs     meet    froggy sperm  
and soon tadpoles wriggle    
dream on   calling frog    egrets  and the kick and splash of new froggy legs 
into the pond    all await you  
ducks paddle nearby    onward in life 

as we shelter   under the clouds    long enough 
to watch the flotilla     make their slow   silent   cumulus way  across the wide sky 
“to weet “ calls the red wing blackbird   “to weet “

we shelter on green grass    under  trees 
beneath cloud ships    within  a sound tapestry  of birds  frogs  bugs  breeze 
we shelter on our beautiful    living   Earth 
     
	- Theresa Roach Melia