A Prayer in Springby Robert Frost Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today; And give us not to think so far away As the uncertain harvest; keep us here All simply in the springing of the year. Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white, Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night; And make us happy in the happy bees, The swarm dilating round the perfect trees. And make us happy in the darting bird That suddenly above the bees is heard, The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill, And off a blossom in mid air stands still. Creature to Creatureby Denise Levertov Almost too late to walk in the woods, but I did, anyway. And stepping aside for a moment from the shadowy path to enter darker shadow, a favorite circle of fir trees, received a gift from the dusk: a small owl, not affrighted, merely moving deliberately to a branch a few feet further from me, looked full at me—a long regard, steady, acknowledging, unbiased. by Wendell Berry Now constantly there is the sound, quieter than rain, of the leaves falling. Under their loosening bright gold, the sycamore limbs bleach whiter. Now the only flowers are beeweed and aster, spray of their white and lavender over the brown leaves. The calling of a crow sounds Loud — landmark — now that the life of summer falls silent, and the nights grow. Some Glad Morningby Joyce Sutphen One day, something very old happened again. The green came back to the branches, settling like leafy birds on the highest twigs; the ground broke open as dark as coffee beans. The clouds took up their positions in the deep stadium of the sky, gloving the bright orb of the sun before they pitched it over the horizon. It was as good as ever: the air was filled with the scent of lilacs and cherry blossoms sounded their long whistle down the track. It was some glad morning. Lostby David Wagoner Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here, And you must treat it as a powerful stranger, Must ask permission to know it and be known. The forest breathes. Listen. It answers, I have made this place around you. If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here. No two trees are the same to Raven. No two branches are the same to Wren. If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you, You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows Where you are. You must let it find you. - Submitted by Ron Hunt Look It Overby Wendell Berry I leave behind even my walking stick. My knife is in my pocket, but that I have forgot. I bring no car, no cell phone, no computer, no camera, no CD player, no fax, no TV, not even a book. I go into the woods. I sit on a log provided at no cost. It is the earth I’ve come to, the earth itself, sadly abused by the stupidity only humans are capable of but, as ever, itself. Free. A bargain! Get it while it lasts. - Submitted by Ron Hunt |
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