A Life...

The sun is warm, the birds sing in the sunshine,
they sing of skies of blue, of the freedom to soar.
I walk the fence line, weathered posts, rusted wire.
By the creek the water has eroded the soil
and the fence gave up and laid down.
The rise is gentle, the grass is green
and clusters of nameless wild flowers
reach for the warmth of the sun.
The stone wall, now in disrepair lies
half buried from ages of supporting
its own weight. I imagine some farmer
in ages past placing each stone like an egg
on Easter morning. Nature’s stones in random
lines to mark boundaries from neighbors
nonexistent. The squirrels scurry, the fox
chases the squirrel while chipmunks
watch the show. The deer cautiously drink
at the creek then wander into the tall grass
to sleep til dark. My mind drifts to the farmhouse
in the valley where ribbons of white smoke
circle the chimney marking the start of chores
and the beginnings of breakfast.
This is life within life surrounded by life.