The Poetry of Mark Daniel Milbocker 
The Approach of Winter

As the rust leaves fell and the trees bowed down
A rabbit hopped out onto the colorful ground.

He stopped and looked and then stopped again
Looking around for a familiar friend.

He sensed the season and felt the breeze.
And shivered with fright of the coming freeze.

He raced toward his burrough and stopped in the field
To feel the cold winter and life unrevealed.

He resumed his flight with the fright of surprise
From a little mouse with sparkling eyes.

The rabbit raced off to his burrough and slept
While the mouse searched around for the food he kept

He gathered seeds to keep him through winter
Patiently seeking for his future dinner.

He scuttled and ducked under a dark yellow leaf
For he was frightened and scared and filled with grief.

He had felt a cool crisp autumn drop
Of refreshing dew fallen from way up top.

He heard no rain and felt the silence
So he raced for his nest-free from violence.

He blocked the door with a cirsp fall twig
Of holly leaves and then started to dig.

He dug a dent in the cold dark ground
And started to fill it with leaves of borwn

Then he assembled his harvest and tucked it away
In a safe snug corner of brown and grey.

Now his work was done so he prepared his nest
And crawled into a ball to dream and rest.

Until spring camoes again, he will sleep warm and free
In the hollow trunk of a dead elm tree.
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©1985 Mark Daniel Milbocker  All rights reserved.