January Sunday

by Mary Wescott Riser

Oaks, poplars, maples,

trunks stark, slender,

self-contained on

edges of tawny slopes,

stand sentry.

Despite the frost,

a flock of doves rises

and falls in the quiet.

Seeds, buds, the ground,

rest and wait. Soon enough

the pressing and yearning

of the next act will out.

* * * * *

Mary Wescott Riser worked in Virginia independent schools for 30 years, most recently as Head of School at James River Day School, a K-8 day co-ed day school in Lynchburg, Virginia, where she served as Head for ten years. Mary received her B.A. in English and Philosophy from Georgetown University and her M.F.A. in Poetry from the University of Oregon.  She writes the education blog “What’s Best For the Children?” www.maryriser.org. Mary and her husband, George, live in Covesville, Virginia and have two adult children.