a clearing

[Mark A Becker]

clearing my head

a dense tangle
of brambles confuse my way
along a narrow icy creek

white-tailed deer drink
as a solitary grey fox appears
to vanish like vapor

a lone crow takes command
of an ancient oak; a sentinel
overlooking the woods

nothing I notice
seems to notice me
wandering deeper in

following the creek
around the bend until
I reach a clearing

raise a finger
to gauge the wind
take a long, slow breath

loosen my thoughts
among the stillness
of a snow covered field

a clearing

lost off-trail, a dense tangle
of brambles confuse my path
along an icy creek

white-tailed deer drink
as a solitary grey fox appears
to vanish like vapor

crows issue terse commands
from an ancient oak that stands
sentinel among the pines

nothing I notice
seems to notice me
wandering deeper in

I follow the creek
around the bend until
I reach a clearing

raise a finger to test
the wind, take a long
slow breath

loosen my mind
among the stillness
of a snow covered field



a clearing

lost off-trail, in thickets
of brambles
along an icy creek

white-tailed deer drink
as a solitary grey fox appears
to vanish like vapor

crows caw commands
from a tall oak that stands
sentinel among the pines

nothing I notice
seems to notice me
wandering deeper in

following the creek
around the bend until
I reach a clearing

raise a finger
the wind, take a long
slow breath

ease my mind
into the stillness
of a snow covered field