Pre-Dawn

Morning has its faithfulness,

and even before dawn

as the gibbous moon still shines,

the turkeys are set off

by any other sound — the geese,

another flock of turkeys,

tiny songbirds, the occasional duck

Even before dawn

cars and trucks are trundling

down Marcola road along the river

We are up earlier

than our rustic lives would order,

preparing for errands in town

and to get back to planting

before the rain.

©Wendy Mulhern

March 13, 2020