The Animal - 2008

It is only one child on the distant hill
a shape you see when you are
not looking
not noticing that someone
is watching you.

Like a pine so far away in the darkness
of evening shadows, body of trunk
dipping silently away
from the lighted
day into secret night existence
the different animal
the inner eye
which watches the outer
silently.

A long time tredding feet through
penny royal and bees
on to ridges where
down below in damns the untouched frogs
sing untouched songs
of dry and wet seasons
the changes from the life
of the water
to the life of the earth.
We changed they sing!
We changed.
And in the shadow on shadow
it is only the
outline of a child that lies in the grass still
afraid of all the sounds of the world
unable to move with
the beauty of it all.

Just still,
just another penny royal
heady with warm summer
evenings
a small blade of some grass
inked over by
the long arm of the night.