Hope
The mist rises lazily off field and ridge,
A start to the dawn of a new day.
Silence slides away,
As a cacophony of bird calls
Signal the start of another day.
I watch the first rays of sunlight
Peek over the ridge,
A sign of hope.
Too Soon?
Today we take our short walk,
A weekly habit
To check on spring’s approach.
We see our breath,
Small clouds that burst and break apart.
Grass crunches as we walk,
Icy and cold,
Another sign winter remains.
Birds dart quickly,
Barely making noise as they fly.
We arrive at the still-frozen creek,
And we gaze around us,
Looking for signs of spring.
Silence surrounds us,
Waiting, wondering…
We look for
Buds on the trees,
Sprouts pushing up out of the earth.
After a few minutes peering left and right,
We see none of those indicators.
“Too soon,” the boy says sadly.
“Still winter,” he sighs,
Turning back to head back home.
Muddy Puddling
The day of rain finally ended.
Drips kept falling off of leaves and eaves,
Flowing and ponding on their way.
An over-eager dog races out the door,
Gleefully rushing into the yard
To celebrate her freedom.
Then she spied some leaves
Transported on the trickles
To a small pool in the walkway.
The dog pursued her leaf quarry,
Darting here and there
Over and through the muddy puddles.
Her joyful barks brought outside
A young boy,
Also happy at the rain’s end.
He joined the enthusiastic dog,
Both keen to expend some energy
Together, muddy puddling.
Denise Garofalo is a librarian by profession, born in Norwich, NY. She studied at SUNY Albany and has worked in libraries in New York and New England. Currently residing in the beautiful Hudson Valley with her husband and son, working at Mount Saint Mary College and enjoying life. Denise’s published writings are mostly on professional topics, but she does enjoy writing poetry and fiction.
