Still Life with Asian Pears

Seeking Shelter

Stillness of an autumn dawn

disturbed by tap, tap, tap –

a woodpecker on a snag

that displays a few yellow leaves –

and the voices of birds

who have abandoned nests,

whose eggs have hatched.

A time of renewed searching

to stitch together shelter and sustenance

before arrival of wild, winter winds.

Lainie Senechal