One poem by David J O’Brien

While You Were Away


That little oasis of wildlife you retreat to

When the heat is heavy or the morning bright

Never stops, while you are home, being alive

And busy with staying that way, so that

The fact you haven’t been for days does not

Mean leaves are not now fanned out

Or that flowers ceased to be displayed.

Despite your absence, you can not say

The goose’s eggs have gone unlaid, or

That robins’ nestlings are unready to break

Out of their cerulean prisons, for

Gaping maws to make parents brave

The rain to gather grubs and bugs.

While clouds spread from tree to sea

And you were awaiting warmer weather,

The first brood was fledged and have flown,

Chipmunks opened eyes to go exploring

And those goslings are gone,

Bobbing down to the next pond along

Beyond the bend in the brook.

David J O’Brien is an Irish ecologist, poet, fiction writer and teacher. He currently lives in Pamplona, Spain, where he teaches and writes. He has recently written about deer watching for Ireland’s Wildlife and deer management for the Irish Wildlife Trust. His first novel, Leaving the Pack, will be published in 2014 by Tirgearr Publishing. More of his writing can be found at http://davidjmobrien.wordpress.com/