Hiatus Poem by Diana van den Berg

Sitting outside
with my dog and my cat
basking in the glorious winter sunshine,
my book lying neglected,
on my lap,
I look up
and thirstily imbibe
the chorusing
of a multitude of songsters
of all kinds and colours and timbres.
A toad tree’s symbiotic parasite
is in full candle-bloom
and is a feast for avian delight.
Laughing doves add their baritone balm
from a tree next door
and a passing hadedah,
haa-haa’s from the cloudless blue
and my cat licks my dog’s chest
in companionship and understanding
and my dog closes his eyes in reply
and the sun illuminates the wings
of a lone wasp, golden-brown,
and the army of green-tipped spear-buds
pointing Heavenwards on an aloe,
blush at their bases,
promising wild-orange sun-worshipping soon
and isolation and burdens and problems and fears
and impossible workloads and unrelenting deadlines
and fighting for survival
slip from my shoulders
and trickle down my arms
to be evaporated into a haze
for a heart-smile while
and the magnitude of “and”
envelops me into sky-wide bliss and gratitude.

(29 May 2013)