During the Darkest Day / Nothing Happening by Martin Willitts Jr.

During the Darkest Day

Although winter solstice is upon me,

darkening every corner of my house,

there is always ambient light, a flicker,

a wavering of love, a greening of house plants,

a nub on a tree waiting to become a leaf,

a sparrow darning light through

to the feeder, a whimpering of snowflakes.

Nothing Happening

they say nothing happens

but early dew-light

shudders low leaves

seasons are restless

like sparrow wings

whispering in flight

light flashes upwards

rubbing the deep sleep

from the sky

if left alone

the earth will return

to its natural state

intermingling larkspur

and daylights of sunflowers

their power to surprise

an outbreak of strewn leaves

try to escape

looping away

into the burgeoning last light

pretending to be streaking birds

and they say nothing ever happens

Martin Willitts Jr is a retired Librarian. He has over 20 chapbooks, plus 15 full-length collections  His most recent chapbook is "You Enter, and It All Falls Apart" (Flutter Press, 2019).