Quail in the Garden

poems of warmer days

The weather has warmed nearly into summer here in the Sonoran Desert. Sunlight is growing more intense, and days are longer. The baby orange tree that we planted weeks ago is full of blossom.

One of the beauties of fruit trees is that they have, not one, but two special seasons in a year: flower and then fruit.

---

Orange blossom scent,
The confection of springtime,
Arrives in fragrance.

---

Up in the garden the quail appear often now. Arizona is home to multiple species of quail, and our handsome Gambel’s Quail are fairly common.

They appear suddenly out of the brush, strutting along through the open spaces in small flocks. But often they are only heard, the whole covey remaining invisible in the cover but talking enthusiastically among themselves.

Quail in the Garden

A covey of quail comes into the garden,
Topknots bobbing and small feet pattering
As they run in and out the rocks
And round the fairyduster bushes.
They have much to say among themselves
As they scatter half-seen into the grasses
Go on unseen but still chattering,
Making their way along the brightness of morning.

---

Don’t forget to order a copy of The Hillside Diary, a poetic journal of four seasons on a country hillside. Available in print or ebook format.