SPRING LISTENING
Away from the traffic’s endless rumble
I walk up a country road
Flanked on each side by breathing ditches
Sticky bud trees
Quiet teachers of time.
Invisible birds sing out of somewhere
I slow my pace on this road
Relishing sounds; mud on boots
Squelching footsteps
Gravel and moss.
Candyfloss clouds, sunshine, shadows
Flowers at the side of the road
A honeybee moves from a pale, yellow petal
Tasting the nectar
Of nature’s life force.
Picking nettles, I stop to ponder
How medicine grows in these fields
A ladybird pauses; blades of grass quiver
As all living things
Call out to Spring.
Kathryn Crowley is a poet and tutor based in Kerry, Ireland. For current events in Kerry, click here.
Kathryn Crowley 