Early Risers

[rejectomorph]

The birds began chirping at five o'clock, when the sky was as yet barely light. They must have slept well, to be so full of energy so early. I took a bit of an unintentional nap myself, probably induced by the serenity of the night and the burbling of the water that was irrigating the sourgrass. I dreamed I was watching a hawk fly. Early in the evening, the moon had been floating in a sky gauzy with clouds, but after I woke the sky had cleared and the shadows had grown stark. Other than the water flowing throught he flower bed, and my own footsteps, the only sound for hours was the occasional croaking of the two frogs. The cool air had fallen as still as stone. The early chirping of the birds was a welcome change.

To my surprise, the poppy plants in the back yard have now put out at least three dozen more blossoms than they had last week, and at least two dozen more buds are waiting to open. They have done better than I expected.