The Evening Portal

When I’m alone and still

A tree, a rock, a wild, silent

Thing.

This is when I’m most astonished

By the life that unfolds

Around me, all at once.

Vast carpets of grass, each

Stump suddenly a throne,

The very ground is alive

And moving, the jumping bugs,

I always call them.

Each green insect signals the start

Of a nightly announcement

The day of deadlines

Drawing to a close.

My boots fill almost instantly with

The sharp stings of stalks,

Golden hay snapped by my clumsiness,

But each barb is a reminder that

I may be welcome but

I do not

Own this.

My presence a peace offering, and I

Never want to offend

This magical, wide-open

Place.