First Robins by William Reger
by Patricia | 4.02.12Who strew the millet and sunflower seeds,
Attracting these red-vested jots
To the wintry paper of my yard?
Black and square in my overcoat,
I pass them by, an exact counterpoint
To their gratitude who left
The dark wind for this plenty.
Seek, seek, seek, they chirp,
And ye shall find the oil-fat seed,
The berry full and sweet.
Better to pass through sorrow
For a cracked kernel of corn
Than waste away in paradise.
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Will Reger was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri area. He has a Ph.D. in History from the University of Illinois and currently teaches history at Illinois State University. He lives in Champaign, Illinois, with his wife and two youngest children. He began writing poetry in the 7th grade and never quite stopped. He also plays the Native American Flute. He has recently had poems published in Fire in the Pasture and songs /cycles.
*competition entry*
April 4th, 2012 at 9:19 pm
Love the simplicity and depth this image and the concept of lost innosence invokes.
April 8th, 2012 at 5:34 am
You sound like a body builder. Give me the pain so I get the gain.
April 19th, 2012 at 3:33 am
This is my favorite of the three you entered this year, Will: I like its attic style, and that it is a call without response, at least not one heard, but one perceived in the experience itself. Very fine work.