Ode to a North Woods August (Sort Of)
Stillness. The calm before a storm of life
Rumbles and hums and begins afresh.
The quiet lake glows in anticipation of the approaching sun,
Its waters' ebb and flow are as the breath
Of the slumbering wilderness, sleeping mostly soundly
Before it finally awakens.
The spectral loon's cry, beautifully haunting,
Signals the night's relinquishing, and the day's arrival.
The land begins to stir and
A mosquito buzzes nearby.
The warbler and the waxwing join their companion loon, and
The daily symphony begins self-conducted.
A mosquito buzzes nearby.
As life rises, individuality succumbs to beauty,
One is no longer one, one is part of the all.
Another mosquito buzzes nearby.
Day breaks, the sun crosses its mighty threshold.
The mind marvels at—
Slap! Gotcha!—
Marvels at the immensity of nature's synchronicity
The complexity of all beings woven—
Smack! Frickin' skeeters—
Christ, where was I? Woven into. Right.
Woven into a flawless tapestry. The depth of—
Ow! Are you kidding me? Right on my goddamn eyebrow!
Jesus, there are a lot. Woah!
A flurry of hat swipes thrashes the air,
The spindly pests scatter and flee.
The buzzing subsides. The menace is gone.
Serenity flows back, and fills the scene,
This depth of peacefulness is not so easily broken,
Once begun, it permeates the soul, and becomes fixed.
Perhaps this peace is not gained, but only restored,
Restored to its rightful place within the human spirit.
Life now abounds, and the warmth of the—
Ow! Shit! Again!? It's a goddamn swarm!
More hat swipes. No avail. No respite.
Smack! Swipe! Slap!
The buzzing loudens. All exposed skin is attacked without mercy,
A plague has been unleashed by a vengeful God
Smack! Slap! Ow!
Alright, you know what? Fuck it, fuck this.
Up yours nature,
I’m going the fuck inside.
