An anomalous Wallowa winter...
Late January in this place
.. and the ground has become mostly clear,
.... revealing... live green grass
...... that failed to freeze before snows fell deep.
Geese speak with relief,
.. for the early deep snow and long cold,
.... caught them not nearly fat
..... and yearning for nutricious green graze.
My dog informs me,
.. the foxes have been working these fields
.... and voles are rare to absent,
...... where he often caught a tasty snack before.
A neighbor handed me a dead hawk,
.. seen during the deep cold haunting her bushes,
.... scaring dark-eyed juncoes.
..... A male sharp-shin caught in mid-migration.
Finches are scarce this year,
.. despite regular feeding by many town folk,
.... and reports follow the disappearance
...... of goldfinches from a wide regional swath.
Despite the local wolf watch,
.. pecuniary seasonal events continue;
.... dog sled races, snowmobile gathers and play,
...... cross country skiers crowd alpine cirques.
Where a land once rested,
.. nurturing ecological resiliency
.... on behalf of dependent and associated species.
...... we all wait... with expectancy.
--r.anderson 27Jan2011
