In the evening the wind stills,
and the work, though it continues till dusk,
is quieter — no thrum of generator,
no flap of windblown plastic,
just the intermittent buzz
of the skill saw, and the thunk
of extra rafter tail hitting the dirt

Later, we, too, will be still,
still in the aftermath of work,
still hefting lumber in our dreams.

©Wendy Mulhern
August 25, 2019

Turns out it’s good
for wind to blow through the house,
for windows to be open

I freed a hummingbird today
from plastic we had placed to keep out rain —
it fled my hands
and so got further stuck
until I broke the sheet away
and it escaped

The swallows still fly in and out,
but with the windows covered,
they got confused —
one had to make a stop inside,
perched on a rafter
before it could complete its outward swoop

Yes, we’re in a race against the weather,
but the game has its own rules —
apparently, for now, we need to make room
for others to play.

©Wendy Mulhern
August 12, 2019