WOODPECKERS 

The tapping of woodpeckers 
and the occasional call of the Northern Flicker 
are sounds of spring-time gathering
 in the woods.

 It is difficult to imagine how long it would take for
a bird to create a cavity of this size in a tree.  

Freshly carved holes,
 made by the woodpeckers in search of bugs,
 are easy to find when strolling the woodlands this time of year.

Nature accomplishes its purposes
 even in the dying stages of a tree 
as it gives feed for the birds, fuel for mankind, and compost for the earth.

There is consolation in the fact 
that a human soul is far greater than the worth of a tree, 
and that the last stages of life 
are as purposeful as the beginning days.