The sight of nature close at hand
Gives to me a sense of peace-
Giving me a chance to breathe.
Filling a small primal need.
But age has sapped the strength I had;
I tire much too easily;
Throughout the day, I struggle hard
To keep exhaustion far from me.
No more for me heroic hikes
Through river valleys lush and green
Or safaris made to Africa
To explore a world that’s still pristine.
But every loss creates a gain;
And growth is found where change is made.
Despite my more restricted ways
I’ve found a scene I would not trade.
I came across a Walden Pond
Just outside my kitchen door,
As perched upon my backyard porch
I gazed upon the sight below.
Bird and beast from many points
With hopes and hunger came to feed
Upon the ground my wife has sown
With corn and fruit and sorghum seed.
The squirrels and chipmunks, cunning thieves,
Cautiously approached the spot,
Pushing past the smaller birds
To eat whatever food they want.
The doves dressed in their finery,
Cooing to their nearby mates,
Strut around my little plot
Looking like they own the place.
A host of sparrows flutter in,
But startled by a noisy breeze
Rise as one upon their wings
To hide and cry in distant trees.
The robins scorn our humble fare,
But find the bath we left for them;
Splashing to their heart’s content,
Spewing water everywhere
Making fountains in the air.
A bright red cardinal starts to sing;
He whistles with staccato fades.
Rabbits simply wander through
To nibble grass that’s in the shade.
A parade of others come our way-
A butterfly rests on our fence.
A redwing blackbird passes through.
A possum lopes to who knows where.
And once we had a hawk come by
Who cast a shadow six feet wide;
And all the other creatures there,
On sensing it, were terrified.
There’s magic in these simple scenes
That imposing mountains cannot teach -
A single flower on a fence,
A bird that sings in early spring,
A butterfly upon the wing,
The scent of rain upon the wind.
The smile of a loving friend,
Day’s promise of a peaceful end.
- Finding the Light of G‑d, pages 155-157