Marilyn Ashbaugh

A Kind of Hush

That morning,  drifts of daffodils drooped from last night’s rain. Under a leaden sky, the blue scilla blooms brightened. Yellow dandelions buttoned the newly greened lawn, and no wind ruffled what remained of last year’s oat grass.  Near the creek, the redwing blackbirds didn’t eagerly share their song.  At the bird feeder, only a woodpecker quietly chipped away at a suet block.  The mourning doves did not coo nor lend the whistle of their wings. 

the ones
left behind
windfall apples

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Marilyn Ashbaugh is a poet, nature photographer, and organic gardener.  She is widely published in journals and anthologies featuring Japanese short-form poetry.