If I Walk

If I walk the man-made dikes atop the grass grown wild

And wander along those pathways worn by hunters, men

I trod on the soil of labour and I reach into their souls

Excitement burning in me because I stroke their world.

The wind tosses my darkened curls about my face

My eyes turned skyward trace the clouds and the hawks

As one they soar sky high and daring, elevated beyond

The daily endurance and drudgery of day by day routine.

I am caught in the magic and I do not want to leave

This land of sacred heron and proud, white crane

The geese honk and chatter, the ducks fake a startle

A parade of sound and performance as I watch spellbound.

How I wish to be a part and not a spectator

To take the wind in my hands and hold it

To take the long, wild grasses and clasp them

To feel the languid waters against my soul and…keep it all for me!

I walk on and on and I never want to go

I want to keep these minutes, I want to climb into

The heart of them and stay to watch the maple leaves

Turn crimson and then fall softly to the carpet beneath.

I do not want to miss a single breath of it

I lean to touch the bark and caress the roughness

Against my cheek - I can feel the spirit stirring within

And does he wish to hold me just the same?

The golden rod and nannyberry, the dogwood and sumac

The wild apple smell in my nostrils makes me dizzy

The kind of buzz I could crave forever

I walk and walk and I do not miss a beat.

Dragonflies flit and land, dart and dash about me

Big, striped bees land on my shoulder and I gently push them on

Hawks bravely dip and hover, waiting for their mates

Nature itself is clapping aloud.

The sky is still blue and it is hours since I rested

I know my body commands me to take it home

The sun shimmers still even though the afternoon is dying

Ending, always ending, the things that I love all seem to leave.

One last long, sweeping gaze and I must depart

Back to a world where busy is the order of the day

I long for the disarray of tumbling weed and grass

The surprise of hidden bridge and concealed creeks.

If I walk in this Hullett place I remember the best

Of all the places that I have ever been

If I walk in this marshland space I am cleansed

And I go freely back to where I came from.

cailin raine