Another Day of Wind

For days on end
The unrelenting wind
Scours the parched land.

The temperatures soar
As the months wear on,
Yet barely mid-Spring.

The sound of sirens
Carries upon the gale
As another fire rages

Removing dead fuel;
Last year's grasses
That might have sustained

The few cattle remaining
On the moistureless land,
Once so verdant.

Tears glisten on a creased face
Whose years of labor
Are loaded on trailers.

Another pasture burns.
Another herd is gone.
Another rancher hunkers down.

Spring's Blessed Curses

Springtime is the time of year
When the earth is clothed anew
In a colorful arrangement
Topped off with skies so blue.

The birds begin to sing again
And trees burst forth in leaf,
Flowers spring from in the earth
With colors beyond belief.

The cool breeze blowing 'cross the land
Spreads pollen far and near
Creating life in blooming plants
And fruit to bring us cheer.

But springtime brings us other things
Like floods and hail and such
That we who live upon the earth
Don't care for all that much.

And that pollen bringing life anew
Creates for some of us
A runny nose and itching eyes
That make us want to cuss.

And growing things create work,
To prevent spreading out of hand,
Like mowing yards and trimming trees
And hoeing weeds upon the land.

And in the home there is no rest
For cleaning there must be
In closets and places you would think
Should be completely dust free.

It is a blessing, yes indeed,
This Springing forth anew;
But, with the blessing comes the curse
Of a million things to do!

Remodeling Again

Why do we get dissatisfied
With the place where we reside
And decide we need to remodel
Some of the rooms inside?

I guess we just get tired
Of the same old thing everyday
So we think that it needs some changing
To look some other way.

It always involves lots of painting
And likely some kind of repair
So it turns into quite a project
And creates a mess everywhere.

Sometimes we hire help to do it
And sometimes we do it alone.
It always costs lots of money
But it's better to not take a loan.

It always takes much longer
Than the time we expected it to
And when figuring the cost of it
Take the best estimate times two!

But, when the change is completed
And everything back in its place
There comes a great satisfaction
And a great big smile on the face.

Yep, you've probably guessed it
We are making a change or two
And it seems to go on forever
But, one day it will look just like new!