LAKE-SIDE

Mowing time;

since snowdrops faded, hedgerows bud with wild-rose -

 may and whitethorn whilst tiny violets in their shade -

then,saffron and buttery golds:

daffodils, buttercups, cowslips and marsh marigolds, fade to gorse and broom flowering;

  merging into the burgeoning of bluebells in woodlands,

meadowsweet and foxgloves in the pastures,

 ragged robin and cuckoo flower

 in patches here and there.

Such glory of equinoxes awakening, arising:

blackbirds staking their claim

and rooks wheeling, calling

from the treetops;

everyday folk emerge as from hibernation

with buggies, dogs, walking sticks;

boot marks and hoof-prints  declaring the boggy patches;

 off-road elderly bikers,

 coated with mud

stomp loudly off to the cafe

so the waddling swan family,

with moorhen and duck in tow

scuttle back Into the water

with some wagging of tails, craning of necks and raising their wings -

by way of keep off, to a handheld toddler

offering breadcrumby tribute!