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.