They flock in the summer—
Sunlight and heat beckoning, even
Advertising an agreeable picnic
Or stroll.

But later, the building’s heat is what attracts—
As the wind whistles
And shrieks across the field,
Through the trees,
Over the ponds—
Not the sake for which it is named.

Yes they hibernate and hide, but—
The will to seek them out
Should never be scared off.

The weight of snow blankets
And the blinding shine of mirrored lakes,
The intensity of the clouded sun
Surely give the most wild experience.

But rejected it remains
As the fields and forests persist on,
Deep in the freeze
Near a wildlife center in January.