Two Poems by Patricia L. Goodman

NUTHATCH

Handsome harbinger of winter,

you saw it all,

the bird feeders that blew over

in the storm, seed, broken

suet cakes

scattered on the patio.

You saw tiny finches who flitted

through the tangle,

seeking the seed that remained;

crows and squirrels

who came to feast,

making the most of misfortune.

You saw new-widow’s tears

as I righted everything,

refilled feeders with hands

too cold to function,

retrieved pieces too broken

to repair.

Far above, you clung

to the penteave of the house,

observed upside down

the chaos that was the same

from any angle.

FEED THE BIRDS

          With a raspy Erp!

a nuthatch flies to my feeders.

           As I stand on the deck he

       snatches a sunflower chip, takes off

                 to the safety of the oak.

Across the creek, patches of snow

                   from the recent storm melt

           in welcome warmth.

Chickadees, finches wait

               in the beeches for me

      to go inside, and I have

                       filled the suet feeder

for the woodpeckers.

           The creek riffles on the rocks,

sustains wildlife

       of the watershed but

its gentle music always brings

                 tears. It feels good to cry,

even though it cannot

           bring back my husband.

I would stand here longer but

            the birds are hungry.

Patricia L. Goodman is a widowed mother and grandmother and a graduate of Wells College with a degree in Biology and membership in Phi Beta Kappa. She spent her career years running a large horse business with her orthodontist husband on their farm in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. Her work has been published in numerous online and print journals and her first full-length manuscript is currently being presented to publishers. She now lives in Wilmington, Delaware on the banks of the Red Clay Creek where she is surrounded by the natural world she loves.