It’s colder now as summer’s sun
moves north of the equator
rays filter out in evening skies
“Goodbye! We’ll see you later!”
And so the plants prepare themselves
for seasons creeping in
The cold and dark of winter
where few new shoots have been
Food production in the leaves
shuts down and closes doors
green fades out to yellow
red and orange galore
We watch the rainbow show
still clinging to the trees
offering frost protection
‘til blows a little breeze…
Shivering they brace themselves
for what’s about to come
no blankets or hot milo
for warmth as cold winds run
“whooooooooosh!”
“owooooooooooo!”
“arrooooooooosh!”
Deep within the ground
others fill with nutrient stores
enough to last through winter
tubers, bulbs and corms
And like the trees, they dig in deep
alarm clocks set to ring
when winter’s passed
sun shining bright
to mark the first of Spring
Tick-tock
Tick-tock
Tick-tock
