Parting Friends at Summer’s End

Birch leaves are flashing a glowing yellow
Providing us with an early warning
Seeing changing colors makes me mellow
Wondering of what will soon be coming
When the annual plants refuse to grow

The hummingbirds continue to visit
But I wonder how long they will remain
Soon unannounced they will make their exit
To plead them to stay on would be in vain
Within they have a survival habit

Of my feathered friends will miss them the most
The time spent at the glass watching them pass
Tending the feeders as should a good host
Oh excitement when they come en masse
Each fluttering just like a little ghost

Cannot fault them for not wanting to stay
For I too prefer the warmth to the cold
When the warm sun makes for a longer day
Unfortunately, summer I can’t hold
I’m a snowbird soon to be on my way