A FOND FAREWELL - Notes from John

Early morning on a misty lake
A steady rain dimples down
Overlapping rings entwine
The lake is quiet, not a sound.

And yet the swallows, darting, skimming
Tracking insects for their food
Swerving past my window seat
Not far from where I stood.

The water gray, calm in spots
A gentle breeze comes and goes
I saw two red winged blackbirds
And before, a fawn with Does.

A clumsy dove on a feeder bar
Made for birds half his size
Silly, awkward, dumb
How do they all survive.

A pair of geese screech to a halt
Flapping, honking, throwing spray
Our resident swan dislikes the noise
And chases them away.

A great blue heron stalks the edge
I watch him stab and then a miss
Waded round a corner, out of sight
Wished him luck to catch his fish.

Black squirrel and a chipmunk
Shasre peanuts on the deck
There almost out of peanuts
If I've got time I'll check.

I love my mornings on the lake
I love my little friends
I wonder how much longer
I hope this never ends.

Little things around me
How wondrous they all seem
Don't take them for granted
They are here, they must be seen.

My time is short, time to leave
I want my wife and friends to know
Although I'm gone, I'll still be here
To Mary dear, I love you so.

Poeted This poem is written from John's notes a short time before he passed.