The trampoline sits empty
on eight legs that hold no weight,
void of kids in flipped out poses
trying to bounce to heaven's gates.
And a huge, brown scar, rectangular
marks the spot the pool once sat,
full of sweet, soprano giggles,
chilly fun in a rubber vat.
All the birdhouse squat vacant
each foreclosed by winter's wrath,
when their residents fled southward,
on some migratory path.
The tulip bulbs in deep sleep
are tucked in snug and cozy,
soon enough they'll break the scruff
and make the world a lot more rosy.
Summer remnants all around me
souvenirs that dot my yard,
offer memories that I treasure,
making winter much less hard.
Tiny buds grow fat and thirsty
for that wake up call to come
warming them to shed their blankets,
green with envy for the sun.
'Neath the frozen lakes in mud beds
whiskered fish take long cat naps,
resting up for that great struggle
to escape the worms I cast.
In February's doldrums
I can hear the faint heartbeats
of summer dwellers hibernations
squirreled away with acorn treats.
Rabbits dozing deep in earth's den,
in their winter coats of white,
soon will leap across the grass plains
raiding gardens with delight.
Summer remnants all around me
souvenirs that dot my yard,
offer memories that I treasure,
making winter much less hard.
So cheer up if your soul's weary
tramping over snowy ground,
soon enough it will be clearing
go outside and look around,
at all the remnants left by Summer
glis-ten-ning with icy tears,
I know winter is a bummer
But it goes away each year.
Throw some more logs on the fire
close your eyes and just pretend
your at the beach graced by the sunlight
waiting just around the bend.
