Funny thing happens when family visits for the week: suddenly it’s Friday and you haven’t even begun the Poetry Sisters challenge! Luckily, this is the month we chose classified ad haiku/senryu.
These poems could also work for Ada Limon’s #youarehere project, because they give two glimpses of our back yard: three kinds of milkweed, empty again this year of monarchs, and a back porch covered with acorn litter. The tree next door, which overhangs our yard, is heading into a mast year — the branches are heavy with clumps of acorns that look like bunches of tan grapes. Lots have begun to fall and get nibbled by the resident squirrels and chipmunks, along with the hickory nuts from neighbor’s OTHER overhanging tree.
I’m not sure who’s in for this month’s challenge, but here are the Poetry Sister links just in case:
Liz @ Liz Garton Scanlon
Tanita @ {fiction, instead of lies}
Laura @ Laura Purdie Salas
Sara @ Read Write Believe
Tricia @ The Miss Rumphius Effect
Marcie has this week’s Poetry Friday Roundup.
A(nother) Year of Reading 
Mary Lee, these are delightful! Thanks to Amy Tan’s bird book, we have recently solved our squirrel problem (they don’t like “hot” seed!)…we don’t miss them at the feeder, but in our wooded areas would be lovely…hope they get back to their acorn habits soon. xo
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I like how you fit ISO in your first line, beyond sad though. I’ve only counted a few in my yard this summer but many many 🐝 Love the “cheek-pouch” in the second haiku, and your background arrangement, thanks from another lack of time 🧑🏼🎨 …
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Both of these are so good, Mary Lee.
Robin Wall Kimmerer, talking about mast years: “Not one tree in a grove, but the whole grove; not one grove in the forest, but every grove; all across the country and all across the state. The trees act not as individuals, but somehow as a collective. … All flourishing is mutual.” I love “all flourishing is mutual.” xo
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Such a contrast of life and heart –wanting those beautiful butterflies to come rest in your plants, and then having the company of squirrels and all their friends! But we’re in it for the long haul, right?
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Mary Lee, your want ads are fun to read, especially the acorn one. Today we had a pickup for the Vets charity and our front gate of our community is having difficulties with the local squirrel. Those little critters save their nuts in a crevice that interferes with the gate. They must love to pick up their acorn stash when they run out of food. You got that right!
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This is the first year I’ve EVER had monarchs in my garden, so I hold a little spark of hope that since they’re not at yours, they’ve just found somewhere new to be, closer to mine… Oddly, the oak from the neighbors house behind us doesn’t seem to be heading into a mast year when I expected it to, but boy the galls are thick this time around! It’s always so interesting observing around here…
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I love both of these. A number of folks in my neighborhood have butterfly gardens and I normally love to pass by on my morning walk, but they all seem to be lacking butterflies this year.
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Oh, that cheek-pouch! So adorable! These are great, Mary Lee. Pithy but full of heart too.
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Love that cheek-pouch! I saw a few butterflies a few weeks ago, but none since. Hopefully they’ll find the way.
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Mary Lee, your yard poems are perfect. They put such a distinct picture in our mind with such a few words. I can see the bumper crop acorn litter and those tan grape bunches. The “mast year” is a new word for me for this phenomenon.
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Ha ha ha — these absolutely win the cute award. That cheek pouch!!
Also, yay for milkweed and monarchs!
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Oh I really love both of these, and I especially love that they’re from your own yard.
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Oh, these are both just wonderful. You have such a gift for using a form to share your world perfectly, and you presented these poems perfectly on that image background. I hope you’re enjoying all the moments with your family and that monarchs come your way–I think I may have seen one yesterday here, but it was here and gone.
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My milkweed has been crashed by recent storms, but it’s still calling out to any monarchs heading our way. Both of your haiku ads are fun!
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