Sunday, July 6, 2008

30 poems in 30 days - day 4

Day fours topic is about place - I chose the woods of VT where I used to snow shoe and focused on one spectacular event that occurred during one of my expeditions.



Dance of the Grouse

The crunch of the crisp snow
Under the snowshoe releases
In me a euphoria I only know
With that first step onto new snow

Virginal until I leave my footprint
Along the path. I feel like the pioneers
Of yesterday who blazed new trails
Across our country for others to follow.

Pure white snow almost blinds me
As the sun hits and reflects back.
The quiet, as pure as the snow,
Wraps me in it’s euphoria of peace.

As I walk the forest comes alive
Birds twitter and I hear the rat tat tat
Of a woodpecker deep off in
Woods filled with wildlife

That waits for me to capture
It on film for others to see
Who cannot follow my steps
Into the forest deep.

I’m startled by a brown grouse
Who jumps in my path I think
To protect a nest but soon I
Realize this is a male as he

Does a mating dance! He fans his feathers
Puffs up his body and bobs his head
Side to side as he watches me curiously
Perhaps to figure out what I am.

As quickly as it began it ends and
The grouse disappears in the
Underbrush and only then do I
Realize I stood camera in hand

And never got one shot of this
Wondrous event that took place
While I stood and watched.
I am sad I missed the chance

To photograph the event but
Still amazed that it happened
And I got to share in this
Spectacular display of nature.

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