I sensed something spectacular was going to happen
So, I stayed in place, secure behind a fallen oak
The forest did not share secrets with unhidden humans
Feeling anticipatory winds from the west, I remained silent
The fey would not come out and play if they heard me.
Within a few minutes a faerie shower began
Faeries of all shapes and sizes rained in the middle of the clearing
A startled deer bound off, showing her white tail
I had no idea they could jump that high from a standing position
Faeries have a weird tittering laugh, it tinkles like dainty chimes
Hundreds of them landed on toadstools, mushrooms, and ferns.
I sneezed and they were gone in an instant.
I can no longer keep up,
your steps far outpace mine.
My gait is now
barely a notch up
from a shuffle. My feet ache.
I watch you bound off
into the distance, powering
yourself towards some set goal
that clicks the kilometers over
until your mark is reached
and you come back.
My distance is meager,
measured within the circumference
drawn around a seat,
a vantage point warranting a stop
to take in the view. I sit
and survey the places I've been
and imagine places where
I would like to go but now,
never will. My thoughts float
the river and ride the tides
going out and then
coming in.
We stroll back,
you slowing your stride
to stay in lock with mine,
the distances we each walk
getting further
and further apart,
yet after all this time,
we still arrive home together,
as we did at the start.
Evergreens, evergreens standing tall; displaying
manifest beauty with every branch and leaf in
place. Oh, what tales you could tell if you were to
speak; tales of the ever-present danger you
have endured. Perhaps you would tell how you
adapt to changing seasons, or if you ever counted
dew drops falling to the ground. Would you ever
mention how many battles you fought to hold that
ground?
Evergreens, evergreens strong and steadfast
in your resolve; through stormy weather,
blazing heat and dewless nights, you stand;
gleaning strength from your immovable
conviction. With boughs reaching out to others
skyward bound; off limits to those close to the
ground. You cover them, over shadow them, so
they will have a chance to grow.
Evergreens, evergreens, forever rendering
aid to those new to the battles you have
endured; giving them strength to withstand
a breach.
Dog and Man
the man thinks
he is leading the dog
but the dog knows
the opposite is true
where the dog goes
the man follows
when the dog tarries
the man waits patiently
collecting warm souvenirs
the dog left
in its wake
a subtle reminder
of the man’s
function and presence
the dog has mastered
all of the tricks
of the trade
entangling himself around impediments
probing crack crevice and undergrowth
for evidence of those
who came before him
pausing at random moments
to leave his trace
off the beaten path
straining at the leash
like a kite
catching a whiff of air
hoping to pull free
bound off and away
leaving the man
holding the dangling leash
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