Let the Courtship Begin
Dawn was bearing the load again for her siblings.
Quivering puppies who feared the shuttered house.
Her occupant was terrifying to them,
they did not understand the sense of this endeavor.
They are young, she told herself, meaning immature.
A swallow stopped to watch her lift the lacquered tiles.
Pretty soon we’ll have a parade, she muttered.
But two robins and a cardinal later made her smile.
She was lavishing generous coats of stain on the steps now.
“Do you think you have enough stain?” a voice asked.
She looked up to see a young man who made her swallow.
He was noticing the paint adorning her cheek, recognizing beauty.
It suddenly dawned on her that she was a woman,
Rounded in the right places, and ripe for courtship.
Suddenly she was grateful her siblings were in hiding.
This was the work of a woman now; let the enticing begin.
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