Under a Faded Red Umbrella

a hollow metal pole sits in front of me
a glass table around it on which my
laptop has been placed, along with
my pale red metal coffee cup...
cool breezes move the leaves of trees
whose limbs scurry silver squirrels,
a well fed brown rabbit jumps from
one side of the yard to the other,
passing my position without the
slightest apprehension as it does
every morning, I sit out here...
a large faded red umbrella is raised
to block out the sun, under which I sit,
since spring adorned us with its presence,
morning coffee better outside than in,
listening to the squawking of birds
and the passing of cars on the four lane,
my chair is comfortable for a while
about as long as my laptop's battery,
then inside I will go for a welcomed
breakfast of grits and honey and maybe
a vege sausage or two and a refill...
until then, I massage my arthritic knee
casting my eyes out into nature and
the over-abundance of pleasure she
provides me by being out here, a 
willing participant in her daily laughter.

April 29, 2025