Mother Nature
I learned to love nature as a child,
Watching my father
lovingly till the soil,
coaxing the best from plants,
or gently tame wild creatures.
He taught me not to
defy, test or question nature
rather live in harmony with her.
I had a mother
who always paused to admire sunsets
and tenderly tended flowers
in quiet appreciation.
I was taught and nurtured by
Mother Nature.
When I tested and broke her rules,
I suffered the consequences
but learned her boundaries.
Nature not only molded me,
raised my awareness,
tested my observation,
rewarded my patience
but helped me become a man.
Now I see her
through different eyes,
as old friends
sharing and communicating
in silence;
comfortable in each
other’s presence.
And I still learn from her,
mind and nature now integrated
instead of separate.
I breathe in her smell
and taste life
with appreciation.
I no longer look at her
but look inward through her,
building on the quiet lessons
learned over the decades.
Life still moves
slowly and deliberately for nature;
although now
accelerating for me
as the years accumulate
and I recognize
a deeper and more
profound appreciation
for how I have been
enriched by the
awareness of nature’s bounty,
beauty, honesty and solitude.
Soon,
under the peaceful
quiet of her sod,
I will rest
and return to her
the elements she loaned me
that I needed
for this short life.
It is then that
finally
I will finally be able
to express my thanks
to Mother Nature.
