(a sonnet for 2020)

When all of Earth in one rotation shifts
When people almost stumble to their knees
When stories, friends and lives are set adrift
Who needs to see the woods before the trees?

Behold the flutter of each life-filled leaf
Behold the sunshine smile that guides the way
Behold the beating heart beneath the grief
Who needs to see the week before the day?

Let’s hear each note of dawn’s great chorus sing
Let’s watch each cloud morph by as it’s redrawn
Let’s feel each cherry blossom breeze of spring
Who needs to see the day before the dawn?

Let’s dust down dreams as we rise from our knees
Who needs to see the woods before the trees?

Mark Bird ©2020