The Shy Ones’ Hour

I sit on a Noble bench in the woods
it’s barely 7 — the shy ones’ hour
we come early to this place
the humming bird at the apple bough
the rabbit among her clover
the timid turtle poking its head from the pond
to see who and what is about
so I respond with a whisper
We’re safe to float in Eden a little longer
as two herons fly overhead
and it’s so quiet we hear wings beat,
heartbeats even
this morning before the fray.

Photo: a bench along a trail in Branford dedicated to naturalist and birder Noble S. Proctor, Ph.D., who amassed a lifelong birding list of over 6,000 species worldwide and wrote numerous books on birds and wildlife. It carved wth Proctor’s quote: Always something to see. Poem ©2023, Jen Payne. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.