Morning has its faithfulness,
and even before dawn
as the gibbous moon still shines,
the turkeys are set off
by any other sound — the geese,
another flock of turkeys,
tiny songbirds, the occasional duck

Even before dawn
cars and trucks are trundling
down Marcola road along the river

We are up earlier
than our rustic lives would order,
preparing for errands in town
and to get back to planting
before the rain.

©Wendy Mulhern
March 13, 2020