I take my rest standing

I take my rest standing
Now that we're home again -
Sitting's out of the question
Given how long we've driven.

Through the window lies the garden,
I'll let it go,
Cede the battle to the beetles,
Let them enjoy its fruits.
Same with the yard, I abandon it,
It can just grow,
Nature can run her course.

On the shed hangs the bluebird house,
Empty now, its family dispersed.
Does the solitary bird miss,
Alone now on its distant perch,
Does it miss those frantic days of summer?
I remember how hard it worked!
If its family could again gather
For some unlikely avian Thanksgiving,
Does it think of the questions it'd ask?
Does it imagine the despair
When each offers "oh fine" in answer?
If it too could've seen the future,
Would it've thought the spring migration
Worth all the bother
When the perch at the end doesn't differ?

I hear you moving in the kitchen,
Setting things right where nothing's wrong,
Though the sounds're pleasant
Still the house lies silent.
On the phone you go,
"Hi Mom... oh fine,
No, I'll wait at least till tomorrow
To call and ask how he's making out."

It's never been peace that I sought,
Though that's what's on its way,
I wanted what was here till yesterday,
Till we drove it far away.