Gulls of Winter

I straggled lonely down the beach
My last desire was spent:
December only crowned the winter
Of my discontent

When these two gulls, they circled down
Beside the waves and me:
Two sporting in chill freedom,
Me mired in misery

I had them for that moment,
Their impulse became mine;
And all my disappointments
Started there to realign

So now I write about them,
While they’ve been long offstage:
But one bird you have in your eyes
Is worth ten
On the page

= = = = = 

Cliché

Clichés become clichés for a reason. Tell us about the last time a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush for you.

into love

the day is perfect, blue and bright;

the earth is clad in snow —

i know that you are waiting there

and i’ve not far to go

 

these times we have are always brief,

but i can hope today

that we both can put into love

what language

cannot

say

The Barley

The barley’s gotten ripe and full,
The harvest time is here;
The days are turning cold and dry,
The clouds are fleeing from the sky,
And wintertime grows near

The barley fields are thick with grain
For feed and malt and beer:
The days are growing short and wide,
But harvest has our needs supplied,
As wintertime grows near —

The days are colder, gray and slow –
The last few golden grains will go –
The winter will
Be here