before dusk settles--By David J. Kelly--Ireland

before dusk settles

Herb Robert’s dainty wavering
in the gentle evening breeze …
Hart’s Tongue ferns now savouring
the dewfall, by degrees …
A Scot’s Pine, still, regretting
the limbs it left behind …
Two Goldcrests pirouetting,
their voices intertwined …
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The setting is European, so some of the plants and animals may not be familiar:

Herb Robert is a small pink flower, with delicate leaves.
Hart's Tongue is a fern with a rather peculiar shape.
The Goldcrest is a close relative of the Golden-crowned Kinglet.
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David J. Kelly is an animal ecologist based in Dublin, Ireland. While his day job revolves around science writing, his light poetry and Japanese verse forms (haiku, tanka, haibun and haiga) have been published in a number of journals and anthologies. He aspires to publish a book of poetry one day, when he has enough suitable material. David is a member of The British Haiku Society and Haiku Ireland.