T'was the Night Before June 12

T'was the night before June 12 when all through the Wildlands

All the creatures were furring, including the Armadillidiidae

15 stumps were ordered in a circle for show

In hopes that poets would one day assemble and crow

The flowers stood steadfast in multi-colored glory

Yet few were there to witness their story

While visions of milkweed and lupine and wind

Summoned Monarchs and Mourning Cloaks and their butterfly kin

Possums and bunnies and lizards and hens

Wondered when they'd see families and children again

Then up rose a sunflower, heeding the call

Don't fret, my garden friends, don't fret at all...

When the virus is over and the children return...

We'll have grown wilder and taller despite nature's spurn

We'll have proven to the world just how mighty we are

When life plants seeds of darkness, we shine bright from afar

Our beauty is a lighthouse, and we flourish despite everything

Just like families and children and schools and Delphinium

Don't fret, my pastoral friends, don't fret at all

Resiliency is elemental until comes the fall