Sunday, March 17, 2013

everything hidden




everything hidden
now out in the open as
winter turns to spring

On St. Patrick's Day, surprise lilies are piercing dead leaves with their chartreuse fingers, reaching for the sunlight that will turn them dark green. Everything hidden emerging from winter's stillness. Five wild turkeys leave the protection of the woods to forage in a cornfield. A herd of whitetail deer, veiled in mist, rummage for last year's corn in the same field. Canada geese stop at the thawing farm ponds, standing on thin ice, swimming in the open water, pecking corn in the nearby field. 
          One day I emerged from the dining hall just as an enormous flock flew over, heading north by west. There must have been hundreds of birds in layers of wavering lines weaving in and out, spanning half the sky. Of course, the thing that remained hidden that day was my camera, unfortunately left at home. But I don't think I could have captured the enormity of that migrating mass of geese with anything other than my wondering eyes. I stood on the steps, mouth open, pointing up with my right hand, amazed that no one joined me.

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