Backyard Bliss

The squirrels play with the squirrels The birds sing with the birds The kits nest together just under the surface The mallard male and his wife reign over the vernal pool that forms between the trees

The neighbor arrives on the patio each morning to place bread in a dish So that the playful squirrels and singing birds and nesting rabbits and mallard mates Will not leave this yard in favor of another

And - just like me The cat I call mine watches it all through the sliding glass door Wondering if she belongs in here, or out there