The University of Texas at Austin

Law in Popular Culture collection

The Legal Studies Forum
Volume 30, Number 1/2 (2006)
reprinted by permission Legal Studies Forum

Lawyers & Poets
Journeys Close to Home

FRIEDRICK HAINES
_____________________________


New Year

Pale sunlight lingers
lately in the afternoon.
Season’s turning posed

Upon a fencepost
like a June butterfly
folding closed, now open.

Slow, prodigal of time,
umbrageous oaks,
with shadows somewhat shortened

Since the day before,
shrug their snowy load
to the forest floor, unbend

And shake their limbs
as if to make their blood
begin to flow.  Put to flight,

Murdering crows turn
to squawk a raucous
caution of returning night,

Or maybe they celebrate
in croaking chorus
to the reborn sun,

And then again settle
down to preen themselves
of bits of carrion.

[253]


Friedrick Haines was born in Denver, Colorado in 1952. He was educated at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota and at the University of Colorado-Boulder, and received his J.D. degree from the University of Denver in 1983. Until 1999, Haines devoted his practice to commercial litigation and commercial bankruptcy. He now works for the Colorado Department of Law as First Assistant Attorney General in the Litigation Section.