I live in the shade of the great maple trees
And though I’m quite old they’re much older than me
There’s birch and old oak,
White pines look like smoke
Together they all form a dense canopy
There’s cardinals, blue jays, woodpeckers and doves
And chickadees, indigo buntings and crows
A hawk that eats squirrel,
Bald eagles that whirl
And finches that visit the feeder in droves
The ground is all covered in myrtle and moss
Hydrangeas thrive but the rose is a loss
Phlox has a bright hue
And squill is so blue
The violets fill in the gaps like thick sauce
The deer eat the hosta and drink from the bay
Black squirrels run races while fat chipmunks play
Our dog chases ball
And coyotes call
A skunk hides out under our deck during day
We’ve dormers, white posts and a deck with torch light
Gray siding, white shutters, a flag hangs just right
At night we watch stars
And listen to cars
The patio feels like a cozy campsite
North wind brings us whitewater waves on the bay
The ducks hunker down but the seagulls still play
The wave tops are froth
A white sandy broth
And everything’s soaked by the wind driven spray
So here we will stay with our great maple trees
The beach and the critters, the birds and the bees
We do miss the sun
And places to run
We live and we love in our shady aerie
©-Rod Robinson