By the shadow of the Chicken Leg Shack

The sideways crab
could master the trick,
and some would remark,
"That crab is so quick!"
for he could run forward and back
by the shadow
of the chicken leg shack!
The spider no web nor weave devise, 


for she knows that to leave is most wise
by the shadow of the chicken leg shack.
Even mice would think twice
before stealing inside
and scant are the ants,
I shan't have lied --
each visitor shied
by the shadow
of the chicken leg shack.

Fishes
Originally uploaded by katmere

What is Creative Commons? You will often see photographs posted on this blog by other people. I write the posts but borrow these photographs. These photographers have chosen to use a different type of copyright --not the ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. I find these sharing/caring people's photos in a flickr search for "Creative Commons." You can share their photos as long as you give their identity as the creator. It's very cool. That you everyone in the Creative Commons pool. Love swimming with you!

today's snowman
Originally uploaded by hlkljgk

Little Four Inch Ghazal

Squirrels harvest acorns to eat in winter
while cat sleeps upon the stove seat in winter

Standing alone in the path gone white with snow
You find you need to warm your feet in winter

Mom stirred the maple syrup on the stove until we
Poured it, hot and sizzling on snow, a treat in winter

Our bellies heavy as we slid down hill
warmed still from Cream of Wheat in winter

When the barn filled with hay grew cold
Frigid nights you'd hear goats bleat in winter

Blanketed and arm in arm we’d pile on the couch
To watch the Marx Brothers catch heat in winter

We poured hot water over our ice home,
making walls of cold white sheets in winter.

Originally uploaded by bjortklingd

The February Peanut Show

I keep a bag of peanuts in a shopping bag on a chair in the kitchen for the squirrels and blue jays. Early in the morning I take a fistful and open the slider wide enough to fit my fist through. I need to make sure the cats don’t slip out and I don’t drop the peanuts too soon. I throw the peanuts onto the deck and my son and I watch them roll across the snow and ice. Our three cats press their noses to the cold slider and wait for the peanut show. It lasts only a few minutes, longer if I throw out more peanuts. The cats shiver a bit, their tails swooshing back and forth on the floor. The sounds of a dozen pigeons taking flight from the rooftop rises from their throats as if the cats were dreaming in reverse.