What a Tease!

Sunday, October 25, 1:15 p.m. - Walking into the woods and trying to hold Manny back from ripping out of his leash, my foot gets caught in a root crawling across the trail hidden by the leaves. Booby-trap! I make it to my log keeping my wits about me. A tree to my right serves as adequate protection from the burning sun. This is my first trip to the woods in a few weeks where I haven’t been annoyed by frozen temperatures and rain. Instead of sinking like quicksand, the ground crunches with every step of my boots. Manny’s whereabouts are easily heard with his paws smashing the leaves as he ambles from weed to weed.


Everything seems clearer and more open. It’s weird how a little bit of sunlight and warmth can change an environment, a feeling. (What a tease!  These mini stretches of good weather aren't helpful in preparing for winter.)  I don’t feel rushed or overwhelmed. The calm and comforting weather is inviting, unlike the rain and frost that seems to always force me homeward. Manny even seems more relaxed. He lies back in a pile of leaves while nibbling on the brown, withering leaves of a weed. The area is open. I can see more trees, openings through the trees, and even houses tipping out beyond the trees. At the top of a tree, wrapped in vines, in front of me sits an abandoned bird’s nest. I don’t see any movement or hear any chirping, but this is the first time I’ve seen it.

A light breeze tickles the remaining green leaves clinging to branches. The woods seem brighter and more colorful; it has to be the sun. My log even seems healthier. The sun has moved and shoots golden bars into my right eye reflecting off my lenses. The buzz of crickets and insects drown out any kind of singing the birds might be compelled to express. I expected animal life to be more active, but the only action I see is from two birds.

One bounces from branch to branch and floats to another tree leaving his friend close behind. They relax on the swaying branches taking in the fresh air. I wonder if they’re all business always looking for food and a mate. Do they find time to just sit back and do nothing? Right now, it seems that way. They rejoin each other on a lone branch hiding in the shade. I slide down the log to find a slither of shade like the birds retreating out of the brightness.

I’m reminded of Oliver’s poetry. Is there any tension out here now? On the surface, everything is beautiful and positive. There has to be a reason for the calmness of the birds or Manny. Like the lilies working to break through with open fists, maybe something in the woods, beyond my sight, is trying to break through. There are things outside of my recognition, everyone’s recognition, which are growing and living and surviving. While Oliver points out the light hearted side of nature, there are deeper and more complex meanings to her insights.