Poem of the Day: “The Universe’s Signs” by Tricia Knoll, Frequent Contributor and Poet of the Week

Songs of Eretz Poetry Review is pleased to present “The Universe’s Signs” by Tricia Knoll, a Songs of Eretz Frequent Contributor and this week's Poet of the Week.  A biography of the poet may be found in the “About Our Editor & Frequent Contributors” section.

The Universe’s Signs

Tricia Knoll

Old-growth forest guideposts. Respect.

The snick of sleet in my hair. Humility

Not full stops, u-turns

nor soft shoulders.

Like when stars

cast no light and the eclipse turns

the moon orange,

a wake-up clamor: now.

Today the squirrel will not leave

my bird feeder. I clap my hands

at him and his trailing mate.

I yell as warblers watch.

What good did I do?

The winter sky is clear as glass,

water frozen in the birdbath.

Wildness decides who owns what.

Poet’s Notes:  This winter in the Pacific Northwest has involved lots of staring out windows at the rain. My window includes woods, a swollen stream, and a landslide bank across the stream. If these are warning signs of climate change, I feel powerless. And, I can't even stop the squirrel from invading the bird feeder.