snowbirds
the doorbell rings the cat awakens
saunters through the kitchen
past the self-feeding station
nobody’s been home
for nearly a fortnight
yet everything continues to function
lights off & on by way of automation
the refrigerator hums
the furnace kicks in
the mail delivered day after day
piling up inside the man door
winter fast approaches
some hunker down while others
go their separate ways
either temporarily or forever
november two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
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