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At Least the Birds
by
Elizabeth Perdomo


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At least the birds
still come to visit, did
not abandon normal
migratory routes.
At least the butterflies
came to greet us after all,
bright wings declaring
glimmers of hope
just as in every
year past.
At least the squirrels
yet forage seeds beneath
fallen leaf litter, there,
just outside
a closed back door.
A Thanksgiving
of sorts. Meager feast.
Small turkey + two who
plan on no
grand gathering.
No shelves well stocked
with festive fare & carefully
created preparations.  
No long-loved faces
seated around an extended table
fully-laden with warm
sides of love. No
grandchildren-induced chaos
exuberantly strewn across our
all too quiet floors.
This season's feast
becomes a viral fast,
virtual distance complete.
Silent winter hibernation
awaits lengthy dreams
of a safer spring.


© by Elizabeth Perdomo.
Used here with the author's permission.



Elizabeth Perdomo has lived and written in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas for the past 18 years, moving to the region from the Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico. Born in Kansas and raised both there and in Colorado, she also lived in the southeastern U.S. for a number of years. Elizabeth has been writing poetry since her teen years, on topics that include local place and culture, cooking, gardening, ecology and nature, traditions, spirituality, and more. The author of One Turn of Seasons, featuring poetry about people and places in East Tennessee, her work is also featured in the anthology, Kansas Time + Place and in various publications, including Heartland, Writers of the Rio Grande, Chachalaca Review, and Interstice.

 

 

 

 

 


Post New Comment:
Doris Bezio:
Beautiful.
Posted 11/28/2020 09:46 AM
Anastasia:
The squirrels are always reliable guests�they never miss a day! Not the same as having our family and friends around the table, but the squirrels are entertaining, at least!
Posted 11/27/2020 11:39 PM
Tracers645:
How sad...no family, little food, nothing but quiet. Is this what we will learn to accept for the best holiday? Beautiful, but very sad image of a...how did she put it...Meager feast.
Posted 11/27/2020 10:59 PM
Lori Levy:
Beautiful!
Posted 11/27/2020 02:12 AM
Mama Goose:
Reminds me of how my grandkids used to tear my house apart on holidays like Thanksgiving. I miss that in my quiet house but am thankful for Facebook and the waves I get from great-grandkids across the country.
Posted 11/26/2020 09:43 PM
Barb :
Yes! When this weirdness "gets to me" I just watch my outside critters for an hour and then the world seems to turn on its axis smoothly again.
Posted 11/26/2020 01:11 PM
joecot:
Yep, nailed it. Thank you Elizabeth Perdomo for catching the moment in this unfathomable year.
Posted 11/26/2020 11:11 AM
DavidTookey:
What a beautiful, poignant gem of a poem. Being able to focus on all the gifts and beauty around us is so important. Well done!
Posted 11/26/2020 11:07 AM
Stephen Anderson:
Cheers, Elizabeth! Richness can be found in untold ways!
Posted 11/26/2020 10:37 AM
wayne.goodling@yahoo.com:
Nice!
Posted 11/26/2020 10:28 AM
Ron Stewart:
Beautiful Elizabeth. Stay safe!!!
Posted 11/26/2020 10:26 AM
michael escoubas:
Whether the gathering be large or small (such things are relative) the best part, for me, is the way life takes a pause, the sense of acceptance and belonging that permeates the air. How we need such anchors, thank you Elizabeth.
Posted 11/26/2020 09:44 AM
KevinArnold:
Fun. Happy Thanksgiving all.
Posted 11/26/2020 09:42 AM
paradea:
"At least"!!! Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted 11/26/2020 09:27 AM
Larry Schug:
I share your sentiments, so simply, yet profoundly expressed, Elizabeth.
Posted 11/26/2020 09:18 AM


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