Poems by Ann Pedtke

The Second-Best Time

for Brendan

by Ann Pedtke

From Canary Fall 2021

Ann lives at the mouth of the Hudson River Estuary – known to the Lenape people as Muhheakantuck, or "the river that flows both ways," where freshwater and saltwater meet to support a great diversity of life.

There are many good places
to plant a tree –
for example, this old cracked bucket
on the back stoop –
or just at the side of the gravel drive
in that spot where the tires always skid
a bit off-course
as a visitor comes to grips
with the curve of the hill.

This sapling springing from the rain gutter
must be rescued
like a kitten from a limb
and settled safely on firm ground.
This maverick sprig of oak
rising from the geranium pot
like a cuckoo in a stolen nest
must be tucked carefully
into a new home all its own.

There are many good times
to plant a tree –
for example, just as dinner is ready –
on a whim perhaps
before setting out for the airport –
or the precise moment the light shifts
and rain begins to fall.

The proverb says the best of all times
is twenty years ago
but the second-best time
(as you have always known)
is now.