Autumnal Prelude

©Lynda McKinney Lambert

My sleek black cat stretches forward

views rain-soaked world through open window

sits quietly as early morning rain dribbles

soft metallic tunes on rainspouts

listens to chipmunks chattering

in rock pile of spare Japanese garden.

I listen to cars splashing down flooded road

crows calling from beyond the dense woods

deep olive-green dimness of tangled

swagging bittersweet vines

careening from highest maple trees

Rain alters my gardening schedules

tulip, crocus, and daffodil bulbs

remain unnoticed, dry and safe

after swift flight from Holland

the promise of a colorful spring garden

remains intact

resting in cardboard shipping box.

Autumnal days grow cooler

but soil remains warm

plants now focus their energy

on root development

preparing for their Spring performance.v