A Ride Along The Path Behind The House Poem by Deanna Samuels

Clouds had cleared and sun peeped out,
decided to take advantage of a spare hour
and rode the trike to path behind the house.
The path had had a recent tidy up with the
common and grass verges sporting recent cut.
Riding slowly along path through the woods,
side edges sported wild flowers at their peak.
Tall straggly stemmed yellow small daisies
as well as loosely bunched yellow blooms
seemingly dominating the general scene
with blue corn flowers attempting to compete
while Queen's Lace had taken over spare space
and mauve flowery bunches pushing up
to rise above popular raspberry bushes
of which passing walkers stop to pick the fruit.
That whole hierarchy of taller plants oversaw
short wild violets and creeping ground moss.

Standing aloof behind the curbside plants,
various tall grasses and reeds gave perfect
background enhancement to the colorful
and numerous varieties of wild verge flowers.
Deciduous trees and bushes, now thick-leaved
and at their zenith, standing tall and haughty
over all around their near domain while the
coniferous varieties stood their ground - they too,
at their grandest, mindful that in a month or two
they will dominate the landscape once more.
A tall, huge-girthed tree that had fallen across
and blocked the path less than two weeks ago,
now lay by either side, cut into large stumps
and logs, waiting for nature to break down,
a process that takes many years to achieve.

Varieties of grasses and shrubs alongside the
creek banks have grown thick and strong, the
nearest tending to bend over towards the lazily
running water, even straddling the flowing tide.
Farewell Creek flowed gently under the
wooden bridge, slowly, almost lazily, spilling over
the small waterfall, continuing in that slow pace,
by meandering and gurgling through the woods.

Noticeably, missing from last year's ride along
the path, no sightings of the varied shaped and
colored small wooden bird boxes hanging from
low branches, save one, maybe by friendly birder.
A small disappointment as they gave interest,
brightening the pathway as well as counting the
numbers, which tended to vary from day-to-day.
Well heartened though, even by that one single
beautifully painted box in several vibrant colors.


Written at Courtice, Ontario - 10th August 2026