The sugar maples survived the taps
their viscous blood dripping into galvanized pails
and who were we to boil it all down
into something delicious
It was spring, not to make excuses
but you know how spring is
Someone always suggests we stop
filling the bird feeders over the winter
something about bears and house cats
as though it was better for the birds to starve
One of the trees dropped a big limb
during the last cold snap, and it’s still just
laying there in the back yard
waiting for someone to clean it all up
of course I said I would get to it, but
that’s the same thing I said about the bird feeder
Look how that turned out.
Christopher Clauss (he/him) is an introvert, Ravenclaw, father, poet, photographer, and middle school science teacher in rural New Hampshire. His mother believes his poetry is “just wonderful.” Both of his daughters declare that he is the “best daddy they have,” and his pre-teen science students rave that he is “Fine, I guess. Whatever.” Christopher’s first full-length book of poetry, Photosynthesis & Respiration is now available from Silver Bow Press.
Euphony Journal 