First of April was the luminous wonder
of coloured eggs and very young lives 

games of gurgling
                  kicking
  smiling

     splashing in puddles
     balancing on curbs
     singing dOh dOh dOh dOh
     with serene intention 

Then the Widow Wyile returned
home and became host
rather than visitor
for a few fine hours
the following Monday
that featured an eclipse
the vigour of Fundy Tides receding
and a brisk salty breeze
briefly in near total shadow 

Meanwhile as the days passed
the chives grew big enough
to pluck a few      the forsythia
soon will burst in sunny blooms
and many serendipitous meetings
with people long not seen
have come about synchro-
marvelously in recent days
but the Sunday surprise
on the eve of mid-month
as the Widow wheeled west

down the road on her white velocipede
            intending but a short
            pre-supper airing out
was a time pausing thrill 

The day was bright
sky gone from grey to blue
the air pleasingly fresh
the great field greening
the basin far beyond full and flashing
as the fabulous fox
            red striding
came to halt
some twenty meters away
to watch cars zip by
and to consider the slow-moving cyclist
who too      decided
         to stop     and stand
            quietly still
            whispering “hello Fox”
so they could gaze at one another
for a   s t r e t c h i n g   m o m e n t 

            what a splendid coat and tail
           in good form    not scrawny
            clever fox face    calculating
            so different from the last
            fast sighting some years past 

            such honour to share
         this brief attention

“That’s enough” 

            Fox slowly turned
            strolled back down
            the slight hill
            toward the lower pasture fence
            rather than come on
            to cross the too active road
            orange-red fur glowing
            just like the sun through
            cardboard armed glasses
            six days ago 

“Be clever and cunning
           if you must
but above all be courageous
in your Self-respect and True Care”           

Wise Words   O Fox
glow glow   glow glow
     glow glow   glow glow

And the very next night
the peepers’ spring serenade
began