When — A poem to begin 2017

when

follow silk clouds
that blend overhead
train whistle greetings
come and gone
crunch of gravel
beneath sneakers torn
catch cones of pine
that spiral away
singular wind scents
in river of time
silent, ticking, no matter
claim shaggy dogs
that spar at the fence
finches nipping seed
till crows caw and circle
till the time comes
when

—Laura McHale Holland
January 2017 

Picture of crows circling by Evonne Hayning