Sunlight falls dreamlike
through the woodland canopy
settling softly
around me
startlingly
a beautiful buck
bounds onto my path
standing proud
the golden sunbeams
work their magic
I’m mesmerized
he considers me briefly
then disappears
quick as a stolen glance
quiet as passing time
*
rob kistner © 2022
More poetry at: dVerse
Life in the woods truly is magic compared to the civilization we’ve carved out for ourselves. It saddens me that we only see it in glimpses now 🙁
Like Joni wrote years ago: “…take all the trees and put them in a tree museum charge everybody a dollar and a half just to see ‘em…” May not be long… 🙁
Your reference to Joni puts me in mind of SILENT RUNNING, when trees are almost extinct. Your brevity is fully fleshed-out, packing a moment with a decade’s wonder and awe. I had a similar moment with a cougar once.
No cougar yet, but crossed paths with several coyotes — I heard them coming, but they were running and paid no attention to me. It was tense for a bit.
Thanks for sharing this memerizing moment
Happy you dropped by my blog
Much 🙂 love
You are welcome my friend… 🙂
That first stanza was magical. Well done poem.
Thank you Arcadia… 🙂
One wonders what passes through their consciousness at moments like this. Great stuff, RK. Thanks
Well we obviously don’t fascinate them the same way they fascinate us, they get bored quickly. 😉
A magical moment. The right lightning can definitely go to work in casting a spell.
Glad you could join me K… 🙂
leave me there please. not call that big yellow taxi.
I just sad, and a bit angry, that my grandson may not get to know the innocence and beauty of the wilderness that my adoptive father first introduced me to 70 years ago. The group insanity that is racing through the human species right now, trying to cope with the assault of the technologies that we have released upon ourselves, and which we have no clue how to truly manage, all but guarantees that any remnants of the pristine wilderness will be overrun — it’s just a matter of when. We have already destroyed privacy, beautiful seclusion is now on life support. 60-70 years ago my adoptive father was part owner of a beautiful, one acre, wilderness island near Espanola, Ontario, Canada. It was on a isolated lake, in the inner section of a chain of magnificent lakes. There was a small cabin that we would live in at the beginning and end of the summer, so we could fish, and enjoy living in pristine wilderness. No running water, no electricity, no telephones — it was total off the grid living, snd it was glorious. To get to this little eden required first, a 27 mile car ride, pulling a boat trailer, on a dirt, gavel and bolder strewn road the was cut into the forest. That brought you to a little ice house and general fishing supply hut call Lehman’s Landing, where we would put the boat in, and pack it with supply’s — gas for the boat motor, kerosine for the Coleman lanterns (our only light), and cut and dried kindling to start the big iren stove (our only heat and how we cooked). We also picked up big solid ice blocks for the dmall fridge. We would then working our way back through the chain of lakes, to get to out lakes, Little Bear Lake. Msking the trip required we traverse narrow water portages, full of boulders, so narrow two of the connecting waterways required we had to get out of the boat and lead it by rope through the narrowest of the narrows. This was a half day journey, but man was it worth. We passed wild life everywhere. We would sit on the wooden dock we built on our little island at might and gaze into a night sky of a billion bright stars, so deep and thick, it was hard to believe. No big city within hundred miles, so the sky was brilliant with stars. And often we would marvel at the breathtaking auroras borealis — mindblowing. Now you can drive on a two Lane paved highway right up to the shore directly across from our island, get in your boat,and leave from a crowded noisy small shopping complex, and be on our island in five minutes. The wilderness is gone. The mystery is gone. The joy is gone. And I’m gone and then we’re going back.It’s shit!
The world revolves only for people with too much money, too much leisure time and too little humanity. They grab and break and throw away. You have it worst in your country because the I want, I get philosophy is a way of life. But we all strive for the same wasteful mindless objectives and when the world catches up with the US in terms of affluence, it can shut up shop, put the key under the door and leap into the pit.
I don’t disagree Jane — wish I could… but can’t? 😐
Trees, woods, wildlife work their magic on me daily, Rob. What a lovely moment to capture in your quadrille!
Thank you Kim. Prayers for our free wilderness on this planet, it is being scarfed up. Like Joni said: gonna take the trees and put them in a tree museum and charge everybody a dollar and a half just to see em. — snd all of wilderness… it is disgusting, and breaks my heart.
This is beautiful.
We don’t have deer around here, but I regularly startle kangaroos when walking, and there was a wombat near the backdoor yesterday.
My kids take these encounters for granted, but one day they’ll realise how special they are.
Sadly I fear Kate, yes they likely might. 🙁
An encounter like this can happen so suddenly….a quick connection with a creature of nature and then, just like that, they’re gone. Makes you stand in awe for a few moments…something special has just happened!
…and it stays with you for a number of days… I love it when it happens… 🙂
Such a magical, lovely moment captured so beautifully, Rob.
Again, thank you Punam… 🙂
What a perfect moment to live with… it must stay in your memory.
It does Bjorn. I have encountered doe and fawn while hiking the forests — but only once a big buck. It was thrilling, and a bit frightening. They can attack with those antlers, but seldom do.