one more day stepping slowly

 

now into my latter years on this mundane sojourn

i walk slowly, step softly, look around more often,

breathe in deeply, touch the petals of flowers and

stop to observe the birds, squirrels, and chipmunks

 

i take walks with a quiet intent so that i can hear

the wind’s whispers, the tree leaves rustling, joyful

sounds of children playing, dogs barking, birds singing,

observe faces of people walking by

 

i come up to a maple tree that has witnessed all this but

from a different perspective of silently standing sturdy, it

stands on an embankment to a stream and so i sit quiet

at its base listening its water running o’er stones and

branches sharing with me its journey

 

i look upward to observe the clouds soaring by for they

 too have their stories and then luckily and by coincidence

while peering at the sky i witness a flock of birds dancing  

in the wind as then a hawk comes soaring while then the

birds take chase and so this vision sates my spirit