Haiku in the Time of COVID-19

Blue jay touches down,
shows off its barred tail feathers,
a benediction.

Even the squirrels
are sought-after company
in this altered world.

The treble of birds,
the rumble of lawn mowers,
my morning chorus.

A robin surveys
the yard's pickings: fallen twigs,
a prized paper scrap.

No spring is ever
the same as the one before,
but nests must be built.

The groundhog swaggers
across the grass like a thug.
Chastened, I retreat.

back to issue

Mary Soon Lee was born and raised in London, but has lived in Pittsburgh for thirty years. She is a Grand Master of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association, and three-time winner of both the AnLab Readers' Award and the Rhysling Award. Her latest poetry book, "How to Navigate Our Universe," answers vexing questions such as "How to Surprise Saturn" and "How to Survive a Black Hole." She hides her online presence with a cryptically named website (marysoonlee.com and an equally cryptic Twitter account (@MarySoonLee).