John Burroughs knew
about nature's rhythms.
Stay alert, he advised, and nature
will fly by your doorstep.
Recently from my city window,
I saw a sharp-shinned hawk
pin its prey.
A few mornings earlier,
a long, tight skein of Canadas
tolled the way north.
And at another time, there were
woodcock, a nighthawk and,
in the magnolia next door,
a long-eared owl.
Now the robins are back
and Burroughs' parade begins anew.