Backyard Zoo

Backyard Zoo Six squirrels, some robins, a rabbit or two– My yard resembles a wildlife zoo. Snowbirds, titmice, cardinals and doves, Lots of birds that everyone loves. But, what is the matter with those noisy jays? They’re rude and raucous with no polite ways. They aren’t inclined to share and act sweet I’m sadly afraid […]

Under the Moon

The second of Ned McNeil’s moonlight mysteries, By the Fright of the Silvery Moon, inspired this poem.  What Lay Beneath the Moonlight by Blanche Day Manos An ancient church, deserted now, lay in a silv’ry light, Keeping watch o’er those who slept throughout the silent night. Did shadows move among the stones, was evil lurking […]

The Cornfield’s Secret

The Cornfield in the Moonlight by Blanche Manos The cornfield in the moonlight, when the shadows dance and sway Is not the same at midnight as it is throughout the day. The field is hushed at midnight; the world has gone to sleep, But the cornstalks nod and rustle at the mysteries they keep. Who […]

My Grandfather’s Barn

My Grandfather’s Barn My grandfather’s barn leans to the south. The weathered old boards are gray. The tin roof is rusted and dented and busted; The wind blew the doors away. But once that barn, filled with freshly-mown hay Was a dark, sweet-smelling retreat. The straw in the loft was wonderfully soft; A hideaway, cool […]

Sign of Fall

Migration High up in the sky last night, A promise winged its wedge-shaped flight; A promise of the seasons changing, Of nature’s landscape rearranging. Flying in a V formation, Looking for a new location, Wild geese flew through moonlit spaces Going to their winter places.

What’s In the Canebreak?

Canebreak ABC’s Red ants, black ants marching all together, through a canebreak by the river in the lovely summer weather. Many-colored butterflies drift or dream or flit among tall stalks for the very fun of it. A caterpillar wriggles and a cricket creaks a song, surrounded by the river cane, thick and green and long. Dragonflies a-dazzle with […]