birds

______

you're late, birds
today's November and i see you
glittering in naked trees
you're beautiful anyway
i'm glad you stuck around

construction in Oakland
i can see the cranes, but
it's getting cold to build
anyway, i prefer these old roofs
or even clouds

church-ways i always shake hands
with Ronald from Kenya, who came
Pittsburgh to learn but deferred
to feed young Emmanuel and Wema:
he's very busy, like Mr. Weiss

who drove from Missouri
to Tulsa for university
instead he's feeding Audra
we're all still fairly young
but fall is a restless time

smelling of liquor, cigarettes
governors and famous in our sights
we plod the Autumn trudgemills
late against an early harvest
and dinner with unexpected family

Nov '09