Produced by Dennis Camire
This week’s poem is by former Portsmouth Poet Laureate John-Michael Albert.
Birdseed on the Snow
By John-Michael Albert
Like the rime of salt left by the vapors
of a shrinking lake; like a guest too quick
to depart, trailing traces of himself
so others might puzzle out who he was,
this snowdrift melts, freezes, and melts again,
moving its hidden burden to its surface.
Inside this drift, half-eaten layers of birdseed —
newly sown after each snowstorm, after
repeated shoveling and plowings — heave
their way to the top, a feast for the fists-
full of feathers who shelter from the wind
in the twiggy hedge nearby. Come spring
it will all be washed away. The dust, the leaves,
and the tiny golden husks will all flush
down the granite gutter. At this moment
though, we chant Hail Mary for these aves,
serve them in strata stacked one on the other,
with a layer of snow to separate each,
until the April ram’s sweet showers.
Dennis Camire can be reached at dcamire@cmcc.edu
Send questions/comments to the editors.
